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Atiq Murder Case: Who’s Guddu Muslim, the most wanted accused in Umesh Pal killing on the run?
Old timers who know him Guddu say he started criminal activities at a young age. Born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), got inloved in extortion and robbery during his school days itself
KANPUR “Main baat ye hai ki Guddu Muslim..” -- the world will never know the end of the sentence as these were the last words Khalid Azim (alias Ashraf) could utter before three assailants fired at his brother Atiq Ahmed and him from close range. The brother duo, accused in Umesh Pal murder case, died on the spot.
According to several police officers, Ashraf was about to spill out crucial information about Guddu Muslim (infamous as Guddu Bambaaz) while speaking to mediapersons but before he could disclose anything, the three shooters pumped several bullets into him.
So far, six accused of the Umesh Pal murder case have been killed. While Atiq and his brother Ashraf were killed in Prayagraj late on Saturday evening, Atiq’s son Asad and his aide Ghulam Mohammad were shot dead in an encounter with U.P. STF near Jhansi. Before them, another shooter Vijay Chowdhary was killed in Prayagraj. Meanwhile, Arbaz who drove the car ferrying shooters during the Umesh Pal murder case was killed in another encounter.
Besides them, Atiq’s wife and co-conspirator in the case, Shaista Parveen, is on the run. Two of her sons -- Umar and Ali -- are lodged in jail, and another two of her minor sons are in juvenile homes. Now, police are looking for Ayesha Anoo Sri, the sister of Atiq, her two daughters, and Zainab Ruby, the wife of Ashraf.
However, one of the assailants who has so far managed to evade arrest is 50-year-old Guddu Muslim. He hurled the bombs with precision during the Umesh Pal murder. After the death of Asad and Ghulam, Guddu has become the most wanted accused of the case.
How Guddu became Bambaaz?
Old timers who know him Guddu say he started criminal activities at a young age. Born in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), got inloved in extortion and robbery during his school days itself. Soon, he came in contact with the “established players of underworld”. Gradually, he became an specialist of crude bombs.
When his family members got fed up of him, they sent him to Lucknow to a relative’s house. They thought the change in city will change his heart too. Au contraire, he joined the “big league” of criminals and started working with two dreaded eastern U.P. dons -- Abhay Singh and Dhananjay Singh.
A former DIG who served with STF said Guddu Muslim’s name first came up in the murder of Fedrick J Golmes, the games teacher of La Martiniere schooll in 1997. “Guddu was arrested with Dhananjay Singh and Raja Bhargava,” he said, adding that “the three were acquitted for lack of evidence in the court. Guddu, at first, had confessed to crime but took a U-turn in the court.”
In 1996, Guddu killed contractor Santosh Singh. After poisoning Singh, Guddu took his rifle and car too. Singh’s body was found in a car in Rae Bareli. The murder turned Abhay Singh and Dhananjay Singh into bitter enemies -- and their animosity continues to this day.
Another STF officer said climbing the ladders of the underworld, Guddu started securing tenders and contracts for his bosses. To this end, he did not shy away from challenging Ajeet Singh, a notorious gangster from Unnao. Muslim used to kidnap officials to secure the tenders.
The tender business brought him closer to one of most dreaded gangsters -- Shri Prakash Shukla. Later, Shukla opened new avenues for him and introduced Guddu to gangster Parvez Tada and Suraj Bhan in Bihar. Tada had an elaborate network. He supplied arms and ammunition to criminals --including AK series rifles and semi automatic weapons. He used to smuggle Chinese-made pistols coming in from Pakistan with Omar Khayyam.
For some time, Guddu moved to Bihar as U.P. STF was on a lookout. He worked for both Suraj Bhan and Uday Bhan. In 2001, the Gorakhpur police unit arrested him outside Beur jail in Patna, said an official. “However, Atiq Ahmed came to his rescue and got him out. Subsequently, Guddu began working for Atiq and slowly became his confidante,” the official said while adding that Guddu was chargesheeted by CB-CID in MLA Raju Pal murder case 2005. While Atiq was arrested, Guddu Muslim went underground. “Hiding successfully, he solidified the real estate business and managed the gang affairs.”
Earlier in February, Guddu surfaced again after years to kill Umesh Pal. The CCTV footage showed him hurling bombs at Pal and his security gunners. He went after them and kept lobbing the bombs with utmost precision. Guddu remains at large with two remaining shooters -- Sabir and Armaan. He was last seen in the house of Atiq’s brother-in-law Dr Akhlaq in Meerut. The STF are conducting raids to search for him in Nasik where he went from Jhansi. It has been learnt that Guddu was hiding in house of one Satish Pandey in Jhansi.
