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Deputy jailor of Chitrakoot prison held in Abbas Ansari case
Police have also recovered ₹4 lakh in cash, a recently-issued fixed deposit receipt of ₹10 lakh, and a brand-new SUV from the ancestral house of Nikhat’s driver Niyaz Ansari in Ghazipur.
LUCKNOW Days after it came to the fore that incarcerated Mau MLA Abbas Ansari used to meet his wife Nikhat Bano in the Chitrakoot jail illegally, police have arrested the deputy jailor of the prison for her alleged involvement in the case. The accused jailor, Chandra Kala Gautam, is said to have allowed Nikhat to enter the prison illegally and spend time with the Mau MLA.
“Chandra Kala was arrested from her house in Lucknow’s Ashiana area. After the anti-corruption court sent her to judicial custody, she was taken to the Lucknow jail. Substantial evidence has been found against her,” said Chitrakoot SP Vrinda Shukla.
Meanwhile, police have also recovered ₹4 lakh in cash, a recently-issued fixed deposit receipt of ₹10 lakh, and a brand-new SUV from the ancestral house of Nikhat’s driver Niyaz Ansari in Ghazipur. The items were seized after Niyaz’s family members failed to give satisfactory answers regarding their source, said police.
Earlier, on February 10, Nikhat and her driver Niyaz were arrested by local police during a surprise raid by SP Chitrakoot Vrinda Shukla and district magistrate Abhishek Anand. During the raid, MLA’s wife Nikhat Ansari was found in a VVIP guest room (adjacent to the jailor’s office) inside the Chitrakoot jail. Two mobile phones, eatables, jewellery, foreign currency bills, and objectionable items were also recovered from her. Later, seven jail officials -- including the superintendent and two jailors -- were suspended in connection with the case.
During investigation, it was discovered that none of Nikhat’s entries were logged into the jail register. She would stay inside the jail for three-to-four hours. During this time, the MLA would use the mobile phones (which her wife brought) to conduct business dealings from inside the jail. It has been found that many international calls were made by Abbas.
Days after the case came to light, the MLA was shifted to the Kasganj jail. He was arrested in connection with a money laundering case registered against him by the enforcement directorate. Notably, MLA Abbas Ansari is the son of mafioso-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, who is also serving a jail sentence.
