Without caring for our lives, we tried to catch them alive: Police in Atiq son FIR

The encounter by the 12-member STF team was also heard by construction workers fixing a pipeline near the Parichha Dam, 100-200 metres away.

“It was around 12-12.30 pm and we were resting when we heard 10-12 rounds being fired. We didn’t dare cross the bridge (pipeline). We waited. All we saw were policemen with revolvers. We later found they had killed two men,” said one of the workers.

In an FIR registered by the UP Police, Deputy Superintendents of Police Vimal Kumar Singh and Navendu Kumar said they were chasing the accused after an informer told them the two were leaving Chirgaon and will go towards Madhya Pradesh.

“We tried overtaking them and stopping them by shouting… both increased the speed of the motorcycle and tried to run away by turning the vehicle to an unpaved road near Parichha Dam. At the same time, the team of DSP Vimal Kumar Singh came from the front and surrounded them… Both teams went back and forth and tried to stop the motorcyclists by warning them, which was in vain. After going ahead about 1.5 km, the motorcycle slipped and fell near a bush. They took cover and, with the intention of killing, they started firing while abusing the policemen… Without caring for our lives, we tried to catch them alive. However, seeing the incessant firing, in self-defence, we fired,” it states.

The FIR also mentions that Guddu and Asad were on a black-red bike with no registration number plate.

The isolated stretch where the bike and the two bodies were found leads to a dead end at the Parichha Dam, the gates to which were locked.

The lane had a ditch, where the accused allegedly took cover, and skid marks. Police said this is where the vehicle slipped as Asad was speeding. There are no CCTVs around the dam, power plant or on the highway.

According to police, two teams had been travelling across Delhi and UP for the last 45 days to catch the accused, wanted in connection with Umesh Pal’s murder.

Sources said the two were traced after they stayed in Delhi’s Sangam Vihar for 20 days in March. “They moved from Delhi to other cities like Meerut, Kanpur, Lucknow and Ajmer. He was going towards Madhya Pradesh from Jhansi,” said an officer.

Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad (L) and his aide Ghulam (R). (PTI)

Another officer with the STF said: “We warned them before they entered the lane. We also shouted and asked them to surrender. When they fell into the ditch, they took cover and fired incessantly. We had to retaliate in self-defence.”

The FIR mentions the names of eight officers and states that each of them, except a DSP, fired at least one bullet at the accused. One of the DSPs fired two bullets.

Police said the bodies were taken to Jhansi Medical College where autopsies were conducted on Thursday evening.

The FIR also mentions the name of another accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, Guddu, who is still on the run.

“Two days after the murder, Guddu came to Jhansi and stayed at Satish Yadav’s place near Parichha power plant,” reads the FIR.

Yadav, a property dealer, was questioned by the Jhansi Police and UP STF in connection with the case and later allowed to go.

On Friday, his wife told The Indian Express, “Guddu came soon after the (Umesh Pal) murder. We didn’t even know what he had done. My husband met Guddu last year when he was trying to sell Atiq Ahmed’s property in Lucknow. We got scared hearing Atiq’s name and didn’t help them.”

At the mortuary where the bodies were kept, police had heightened security.

Ghulam’s brother Rahil, who claims to be a BJP member from the area, said, “I don’t wish to keep any ties with that man. My mother is also with me. We are innocent people. Police came to us and we told them we will not collect the body. They respected our decision.” Asad’s body was collected by his cousin.