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Police intensify search for Atiq’s wife
Uttar Pradesh police have shifted their focus to tracing slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s absconding wife Shaista Parveen, and are surprised she did not either surrender or turn up for the burials of her son or those of her husband and brother-in-law.
Uttar Pradesh police have shifted their focus to tracing slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s absconding wife Shaista Parveen, and are surprised she did not either surrender or turn up for the burials of her son or those of her husband and brother-in-law.
Parveen has been at large since the February 24 murders of Umesh Pal and his two police guards in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj district , a case in which she is an accused.
Her third son Asad was killed in an encounter with the Special Task Force of UP Police in the state’s Jhansi district on April 13 while her husband Atiq Ahmed and brother-in-law Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf were shot dead by three assailants while in police custody in Prayagraj on April 15.
“Multiple teams have been constituted for tracing and arresting Shaista Parveen. She has been named as one of the prime accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and carries a cash reward of ₹50,000,” a senior police official said.
“The reason we wish to question her is not just to get more details of Umesh Pal murder but also the manner in which weapons were procured and payments made to assailants. With Atiq in jail since 2017, she was his key connection to the outside world and can reveal details of individuals who helped him run his illegal empire,” said another senior policemen. Neither policeman wished to be identified.
Parveen, 51, has four criminal cases registered against her at Colonelganj and Dhoomanganj police stations of Prayagraj.
The first three cases filed at Colonelganj police station date back to 2009 and were registered under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security or will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged document) besides section 30 (contravention of licence or rule) of the Arms Act.
In three of these cases charge sheets have been filed by the police at the court of special chief judicial magistrate, Prayagraj . The fourth case registered on February 24, 2023 at Dhoomanganj police station relates to the murders of lawyer Umesh Pal, a prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, and his two police guards.
Atiq Ahmed is believed to be behind Raju Pal’s murder.
“Police investigation has revealed that after Atiq and Ashraf were arrested and sent to jail, Shaista was handling the illegal real estate business of Atiq,” said the second police officer. During his questioning, Atiq Ahmed is believed to have revealed names of at least a dozen of his associates who were aiding him in running his real estate business on his behalf especially on the outskirts of Prayagraj and Kaushambi districts.
“On receiving instructions, Atiq’s associates used to provide the profit to Shaista Parveen. After Atiq and Ashraf’s deaths, only Shaista has the knowledge about all the white collared associates of Atiq who were making hefty amounts of profits through illegal real estate business,” the second officer said.
“Her arrest may provide clues regarding Atiq’s associates who were making profits in his name. Shaista may also throw light on those from whom Atiq had life threats,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, Atiq Ahmed’s lawyer Vijay Mishra said, “Shaista is not in contact with me, nor has she filed any surrender application in the court through me”.
A resident of Damupur village of Prayagraj, Parveen is the eldest among four sisters and two brothers. Her father Harun Ahmad is a retired police constable. She was married to Atiq Ahmed in 1996.
