Atiq’s informer sent Umesh Pal’s pictures, location to shooters: Police

Shaista Parveen may soon surrender before court after failing to turn up at the funerals of her son Asad on April 15, husband Atiq Ahmad and brother-in-law Khalid Azeem on April 16

PRAYAGRAJ Slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad had informers keeping an eye on the movements of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two police guards who were killed in a broad daylight attack in Prayagraj on February 24. One of the informers, in the guise of a lawyer, was using a high-end cell phone given to him by Atiq to pass on information about the lawyer, informed police officials.

Photographs of the lawyer were also shared with Atiq’s son Asad and the other assailants who attacked him near his house using sophisticated handguns. (File Photo)

Police officials suspect that this informer provided Umesh Pal’s location to the assailants to help them target him. Photographs of the lawyer were also shared with Atiq’s son Asad and the other assailants who attacked him near his house using sophisticated handguns.

Meanwhile, Atiq’s lawyer Khan Saulat Haneef will soon be taken on remand for questioning in this connection, police officials shared. On March 28, Haneef, along with Atiq Ahmad and another aide, were sentenced to life imprisonment by the MP/MLA court in the Umesh Pal abduction case (2006).

During scanning of a mobile phone recovered from one of the accused arrested in connection with Umesh Pal murder, the police found a phone number saved with the name of ‘Hanif Chacha’. Many photographs of Umesh Pal were sent to assailants from the same mobile number before February 23, said police officials.

On February 24, Umesh Pal had gone to court and as soon as he left the premises, the assailants had received this information, they claimed.

The assailants reached near Umesh Pal’s residence and gunned him down along with his two security personnel. Police officials did not disclose the name of the informer, but claimed that Khan Saulat Haneef will be taken on remand for extraction of information related to him.

The police received clues that a new team of lawyers has been formed to facilitate Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen’s surrender in court. It is believed that Shaista may soon surrender before court after failing to turn up at the funerals of her son Asad on April 15, husband Atiq Ahmad and brother-in-law Khalid Azeem on April 16. Police teams have launched an operation in localities and villages on banks of Ganga in Prayagraj and Kaushambi and have even taken help of drones to trace her location but have failed to find her.