The primary witness in the 2005 BSP Lawmaker Raju Pal murder case, Umesh Pal, was killed, on Friday, along with one of his police gunners, last week in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
The three assailants, who had crude bombs in their luggage, were reported to have been pursuing Umesh Pal’s vehicle nonstop.
Guddu Muslim has been named as one of the accused who purportedly threw the bombs during the shootout.
Who is Guddu Muslim?
He was born in Allahabad and began participating in illicit activities at the age of 15 by engaging in robberies and extortions. His family sent him to Lucknow to study in order to keep him out of the criminal underworld he had become involved in.
The gangster had positioned himself in the criminal underworld by the mid-1990s. He used to win every contract for installing railway mobile towers while residing in Lucknow.
He had connections to major figures in the underworld.
Guddu Muslim is infamous for his skill in making hand grenades, even while riding a pillion on a moving motorcycle. Police sources claimed that Guddu was quite unusual in the way he put together a bomb and could manage it in just 4-5 minutes.
He would assemble the bomb while on the road and would carry the raw materials, nails, shards, gunpowder, jute twine, etc., in separate packs to avoid being discovered. He learned how to make bombs from a professional in Nepal’s underground, according to sources.
According to a police officer with extensive experience working in Prayagraj’s crime section, “Guddu developed his skills in making crude bombs in the early 1990s.”
He once intended to target deceased mobster Shri Prakash Shukla at the direction of a Barabanki-based gangster. He was involved in the murder of a Lucknow teacher.
The murder of Frederick Gomes, a physical education instructor at La Martiniere College in Lucknow, on March 7, 1997, is where the name Guddu Muslim first appeared, according to retired inspector general of police Rajesh Pandey, who was a part of the first Special Task Force (STF) constituted in the state.
He recalled that the former was a member of Satyendra Singh’s gang, a Faizabad history sheeter who was assassinated in 1996–1997 after Shriprakash Shukla shot him multiple times with an AK–47.
“We had also taken Guddu on remand when the STF was formed to know the whereabouts of Shriprakash,” he remarked.
Another senior police official remarked, that Guddu harboured resentment following the incident and even attempted to attack Shriprakash using crude bombs.
“Guddu spent several years residing at Hussainganj’s OCR building. He was arrested for Gomes’ killing. Even so, he admitted to the crime. Yet, he soon received bail,” as per the police.
“After being released from custody, Guddu escaped to Bihar. He used to produce bombs for the infamous Gorakhpur mafia don Parvez Tada. He first met Udaybhan, a mafia don in Bihar, through Parvez, and teamed up with him,” police added.
Guddu was sought by UP Police at all times. He was involved in carrying out a number of horrific acts in Bihar. He committed dozens of crimes in the state, within a short period of time, including kidnapping, murder and bombing.
Moreover, he used to travel to Gorakhpur to carry out crimes as directed by Parvez Tada. He was arrested by Gorakhpur police in front of Patna’s Beur prison in 2001 as a result of a tip-off. Yet shortly after, he was released on bail.
The CBI filed charges against Guddu Muslim in 2019 for the shocking murder of former BSP member of the legislative assembly, Raju Pal in January 2005.
Raju Pal and Umesh Pal murder cases
On January 25, 2005, Pal was murdered months after winning the Allahabad (West) assembly seat in his electoral debut by defeating former MP Atiq Ahmed’s younger brother Khalid Azim.
The main perpetrators in the homicide case are Atiq Ahmed, his brother and ex-MLA Ashraf. All of the accused are currently being held in jail.
Umesh Pal was shot dead by an unidentified man as he exited the Hyundai Creta SUV’s backseat. CCTV cameras recorded the entire incident. The attackers arrived in a car and a motorcycle. He was taken to Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, where he passed away while receiving medical care.
Police shot and killed one of the prime accused, shooter, Mohammad Arbaaz, 24, on Monday in an encounter in Prayagraj, three days after the murder.
Bulldozers plough through the properties of mafia Atiq Ahmed’s associates accused in the murder of Umesh Pal, as part of the Uttar Pradesh government’s stern action against the offenders.
Today, the Prayagraj administration demolished the house of Safdar Ali, a gun store owner and alleged aid of Atiq Ahmed.
Ahmed’s wife, Shaista Parveen, another accused in the case is currently on the run and police are searching for her.
