Before he figured in one of Prayagraj’s most high-profile murder cases, Mohammad Armaan, in his mid-30s, alias Armaan Bihari, was known for a small kebab-paratha shop in Rajapur. In the years that followed, his path took him from the shop counter into the circle of people close to slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad and, eventually, to the list of accused in the murder of lawyer-politician Umesh Pal, with a ₹5 lakh reward declared on him, according to police.
A native of Gaya in Bihar, Armaan arrived in Prayagraj in 2012 and opened his shop under the Cantonment police station area. There, he came in contact with Guddu Muslim, an alleged shooter and close associate of Atiq, who was then involved in wholesale chicken supply.
The association grew, with Armaan beginning to stay with Guddu Muslim and handing over his shop to his younger brother Imran, police said. Through Guddu, he came into contact with people linked to the Atiq family.
One such link was businessman Nafis Biryani, considered close to Atiq’s brother Ashraf. Nafis ran a shop in Civil Lines where Armaan frequently spent time. Police said Armaan met Sabir, another close associate of the Atiq family, through Nafis.
By then, Atiq was lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat and Ashraf in Bareilly jail. Family members and close associates regularly travelled to the two prisons to meet them. Armaan, Guddu Muslim and Sabir also began accompanying them, bringing Armaan closer to the family, police said.
{{/usCountry}}By then, Atiq was lodged in Sabarmati jail in Gujarat and Ashraf in Bareilly jail. Family members and close associates regularly travelled to the two prisons to meet them. Armaan, Guddu Muslim and Sabir also began accompanying them, bringing Armaan closer to the family, police said.
{{/usCountry}}His proximity to the family grew further in early 2023, after Atiq’s wife Shaista Parveen joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on January 5 and was made its mayoral candidate in Prayagraj. As Shaista campaigned, Guddu Muslim, Sabir and Armaan allegedly accompanied her.
Police said it was during this period that the conspiracy to kill Umesh Pal was allegedly set in motion.
According to the police account, Atiq and Ashraf discussed the plan while lodged in Sabarmati and Bareilly jails. Atiq’s son Asad and shooter Mohammed Ghulam met Ashraf in Bareilly, where the murder plan was allegedly discussed. Asad later met his father in jail, where Atiq allegedly asked him to coordinate with Guddu Muslim, Sabir and Armaan.
Then came February 24, 2023.
Umesh Pal and his two police guards were shot dead in broad daylight in Prayagraj. CCTV footage showed a motorcycle arriving at the spot. Police allege that Armaan was riding it, with Guddu Muslim seated behind him.
According to police, Armaan brought Guddu Muslim to the spot and both opened fire on Pal and his guards before fleeing. The attackers then dispersed. Guddu Muslim and Sabir allegedly fled together, while Asad and Ghulam escaped in another direction. Armaan also left Prayagraj separately.
Asad and Ghulam were later killed in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, 2023.
Armaan meanwhile reached Gaya, where he allegedly opened fire at a man known as ‘Bholu Anda Wale’ near Katari Talab. A case of attempt to murder was registered and Armaan later surrendered before a court. He was sent to Gaya Central Jail, where he remained for more than three years.
The turn came when Prayagraj police learnt that one of its most wanted accused in the Umesh Pal murder case was already lodged in Gaya jail.
A Dhoomanganj police team reached the jail on September 30, obtained Armaan’s latest photograph and took his thumb impressions. Police subsequently moved the Gaya court for his transit remand on October 1. Armaan was brought to Prayagraj on October 4 and produced before a court on October 5. The SC/ST sessions court accepted his transit remand and directed that he be produced again after 14 days.
Two other key alleged shooters in the case, ₹5 lakh-rewarded Guddu Muslim alias Guddu Bombaz and Sabir, remain absconding. Shaista Parveen, Zainab Fatima, wife of Ashraf, and Ayesha Noori, Atiq’s sister, are also wanted in connection with the case.