2nd encounter by UP cops in week, another Umesh Pal murder accused killed

According to police, Chaudhary, a resident of Prayagraj, was a wanted criminal with a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head.

The accused seen in CCTV footage of the February 24 murder.

Prayagraj Additional Commissioner of Police Akash Kulhary said Chaudhary had opened fire at Umesh Pal on February 24. According to police, Chaudhary had fired the first shot. Umesh Pal and his two security personnel were killed in the attack.

In a purported video of the incident, Chaudhary is allegedly seen opening fire as soon as he gets down from his vehicle.

Acting on a tip-off, a team was sent to Kaundhiyara area where Chaudhary was spotted, police said. Chaudhary allegedly started shooting when he saw the police, and the police team chased him and fired back.

Police said a constable, Narendra Kumar, was injured in the incident, and a .32 bore countrymade pistol and cartridges were recovered from Chaudhary.

Countering the police version, Chaudhary’s wife, Suhani, alleged that he was killed in a fake encounter. According to a PTI report, Suhani alleged that the police took away her husband and father-in-law in the morning and confiscated their mobile phones. Accusing the police of misusing the law, Suhani said, “The police have done absolutely wrong. The law is not made to kill someone. The law is made to protect.”

This comes a week after another accused in the case, Arbaz, who allegedly drove the vehicle used by Umesh Pal’s killers, was killed in an alleged encounter in Prayagraj on February 27. The same day, police also arrested Sadakat Khan, 27, a resident of Ghazipur, for his alleged involvement in the case.

In her police complaint, Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya had named gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, the main accused in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case who is currently lodged in a Gujarat jail, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam and nine others in the murder of her husband.

A day after Umesh Pal was killed, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while speaking in the Assembly, had accused the SP of sheltering “criminals” and “mafia” like Atiq Ahmed and said he would destroy the mafia (“iss mafia ko mitti mein mila denge”).

Last week, the Prayagraj Development Authority had razed three houses of Atiq’s aides, including one in which Shaista Parveen was residing.

On Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh Police announced a reward of Rs 2.5 lakh for information on five people, including Atiq’s son Asad.