Umesh Pal case: Assailants used code names to avoid detection, say police

It was found out during the probe that Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were given code names of “Bade Miyan” and “Chhote Miyan” respectively

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, his kin and other assailants accused in the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two police guards on February 24 used code names while communicating with one another in a bid to avoid detection before the crime was committed, said police on the basis of their ongoing probe into the incident.

Assailant Gulam Hasan was called “Ullu” as he often used to roam around during night. Guddu Muslim was given the code name of “Murgi” as his family members run a chicken shop. (For Representatives)

On Tuesday (April 4), police recovered a register, an iPhone and two Aadhaar cards from Atiq Ahmed’s razed ancestral home in Chakia area, said station house officer (SHO), Dhoomanganj police station, Rajesh Kumar Maurya.

The register contained vital information besides the ID and password of the iPhone along with some code names and further probe was under way, he added. Police officials said the interrogation of the accused taken on remand and the investigation revealed that code names were used by Atiq and others involved in the February 24 crime.

It was found out during the probe that Atiq and his brother Ashraf were given code names of “Bade Miyan” and “Chhote Miyan” respectively. The code names were also given to Atiq’s son Asad and other assailants who are carrying rewards of ₹5 lakh each on their arrests.

Assailant Gulam Hasan was called “Ullu” as he often used to roam around during night. Guddu Muslim was given the code name of “Murgi” as his family members run a chicken shop. One of the assailants Armaan was called “Bihari” as he hails from Bihar. Assailant Vijay Chaudhary was called “Usman”.

The probe also revealed that Asad was a big fan of actor Salman Khan and earlier used to sport long hair as Salman Khan had in one of his movies “Tere Naam”. Asad was given the code name of ‘Radhe’ which was the name of character Salman Khan played in the movie.

Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen, also an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, was earlier called “Godmother” but the codename was later changed to “Sai Baba” for unknown reasons, the police probe revealed.

During questioning of Atiq’s henchmen Niaz, Mohd Sajar, Rakesh Lala, Arshad Katra and Mohd Qais, it also came to fore that Atiq’s close aide Mohd Asaad had also played an important role in the conspiracy of Umesh Pal’s murder. Asaad, who is carrying a reward of ₹25000 on his arrest in a case of assault on a property dealer, was called “Langda” as he walks at a slow pace.

As per the police, some other names like Pandit, Tota, Kachhauli, Balli, Sam, Halwai, Maya, Ertugrul, Rasia and Kaale etc have also surfaced. While bearer of some of the code names are already known to police, others are being identified. Police officials said those involved in the crime were using iPhone and special apps in their smartphones to communicate with one another.

The idea of using code names was given by one of the sons of Atiq in a bid to avoid being detected and mislead police even if their conversation was tapped, the police said. On instructions of Atiq, the assailants were given new phones and SIM cards, they added.