Former MP and SP leader Atique Ahmed who is lodged in Deoria jail is alleged to have beaten up a real estate merchant in jail and demanded an extortion amount from him. The police have registered an FIR and the investigation is underway. As per the preliminary reports, the victim was kidnapped from Gomtinagar and was taken to the Deoria jail where he was violently assaulted and forced to sign his property papers under duress by Atique Ahmed. His vehicle was also snatched.
According to the reports, the real estate agent, Mohit Jaiswal, is a resident of Viseshwar Nagar of Alambagh. His office is situated in the Virat area of Gomtinagar. Mohit had alleged that former MP Atique Ahmed, who was locked up in Deoria jail, had pressurised him two years ago to pay extortion money. Yielding to fear, the victim had then given the money. However, four months ago, Atique’s henchmen Farooq and Zaki Ahmed again started harassing him for money.
Two months after the incident, both of them squatted Mohit’s office. They even coerced Mohit to include their names as company partners along with forcefully acquiring the digital signatures of Mohit and his sister. However, Mohit did not transfer any shares on their names. The victim recounted the incident to SSP Kalanidhi Nathani. Jaiswal also asserted that Atique Ahmed runs the extortion racket from his cell itself.
An FIR has been registered in the Alambagh police station against Atique Ahmed, Farooq, Zaki Ahmed, Umar, Zafarullah, Gulab Sarwar and other 10-12 unknown people, for the charges of robbery, kidnapping, and assault. The police team has arrested Irfan, a resident of Khara of Gomtinagar, and Kancha Sarai resident of Pratapgarh. Mohit’s car has also been recovered from them.
As the incident came to light, questions are being raised on the complicity of the Deoria Jail administration. The district administration raided the jail on Sunday night. More than 200 security personnel led by DM Amit Kishore and SP N Kolala, raided the jail. Deoria’s DM Amit Kishore claimed that the recording of the CCTV camera installed in the jail has been tampered with. The recording of particular time-period is also missing, for which a three-member team has been formed on behalf of the district administration, which will report on this whole issue by this evening.
