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Mukhtar’s absconding wife may surrender after mourning period: Family
Afzal Ansari says such a situation was created that Afsha could not even visit her husband’s funeral.
In hiding since February last year, late gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari’s wife Afsha Ansari could soon surrender after a period of religious mourning, hinted Mukhtar’s elder brother and BSP MP Afzal Ansari. Afsha carries a reward of ₹75,000 announced by police in Ghazipur and Mau districts.
While talking to media persons in Ghazipur, Afzal said Afsha was framed in criminal cases and rewards were announced for her arrest. He said such a situation was created that she could not even visit her husband’s funeral.
Mukhtar, who had been in jails in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab since October 2005, died due to cardiac arrest in Banda district jail on March 28. He had around 65 criminal cases lodged against him since 1978 and was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022.
“Wherever she may be she must be observing ‘Iddat’ (the period of waiting or chastity that a married Muslim woman is supposed to observe following separation from her husband either due to his death of or divorce) and she is likely to appear before court only after four months,” he stated. Afzal added, “She had approached the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court seeking anticipatory bail. She would prefer to end this run even if courts don’t give her any relief.”
A police official said Afsha was wanted in a case of land grabbing by forging papers that was registered under Sadar police station in February 2023. He said a similar FIR of land grabbing in Chaavni line and Babedi locality was lodged against her in 2019. He said police had earlier declared a reward of ₹25,000 for her arrest, which was increased to ₹ 50,000 by additional director general (ADG) of Varanasi zone Ram Kumar on April 13.
He said the Mau district police announced ₹ 25,000 reward on her on April 12 last year in a case of embezzlement of government funds lodged against her in 2016. A total of 11 criminal cases are lodged against her in Ghazipur and Mau.
