On 13th April 2023, Asad Ahmed, son of gangster turned politician Atiq Ahmed, was killed in a police encounter at Jhansi. Asad Ahmed was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case. Along with Asad, his associate Ghulam Muhammad was also killed in the encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Police STF.
In the CCTV footage of Umesh Pal’s murder, Asad Pal was seen chasing and attacking Pal with a pistol. Muhammad Ghulam, son of Maksudan, was a gunman who fired shots during the Umesh Pal murder. Both were carrying bounties of ₹5 lakhs after their involvement in the Umesh Pal murder came to light.
Atiq Ahmed, his wife Shaista Prveenm, their sons Asad and Ashraf, their associates Guddu Muslim and Muhammad Ghulam, and nine others were named in the complaint filed by Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal after the murder of Umesh Pal. Earlier two other men, Arbaaz and Vijay Chowdhary alias Usman, who were involved in Umesh Pal’s killing, were killed in encounters with police on February 27 and March 6 respectively.
Asad Ahmed is the third son of the mafia Atiq Ahmed. Asad Ahmed operated the gang from Lucknow. His father Atiq Ahmed is lodged in the Sabarmati Jail and his uncle Ashraf Ahmed is locked in the Bareilly Jail. Asad Ahmed completed his schooling in Lucknow. His two elder brothers are also arrested by the police in various cases. According to media reports, Asad Ahmed wanted to get further education abroad, but because of the criminal background of his family, his passport was not cleared by the authorities.
Till 24th February 2023, Asad Ahmed did not have any case against him. On 24th February 2023, he led Atiq Ahmed’s gang in the murder of Umesh Pal. He was seen in the CCTV footage as he stepped down from the vehicle and approached Umesh Pal and shot him from point-blank range. Umesh Pal ran to the adjacent lane to save his life. Asad Ahmed followed him in the lane and fired bullets at Umesh Pal. Asad Ahmed was one of the key conspirators of this murder and he led the gang on the day of the murder.
In the last one and a half months, Asad Ahmed went on to become the most wanted criminal in the state. The police had declared a reward of Rs. 5 lakhs on his head. When he was surrounded by the STF team of the UP Police, he was asked to surrender. But Asad Ahmed fired at the police. He and his associate Mohammed Ghulam both were shot dead in the cross firing. Asad Ahmed reportedly wanted to become a lawyer, but ended up being encountered as a gangster.
Mohammed Ghulam was one of the shooters involved in the Umesh Pal murder case. There were 7 assailants in the gang that killed Umesh Pal. One of them was tasked with attacking with explosives. Others were shooting with pistols. Mohammed Ghulam was one of the pistol shooters. He too fired rounds at Umesh Pal.
Last month, the house of Ghulam was demolished by the Prayagraj administration. The Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) had issued a notice regarding illegal construction, after which the house was demolished after completing the necessary legal requirements. Earlier Ghulam’s girlfriend was arrested after it was found that she was in regular contact with him while he was absconding after Umesh Pal’s murder. She was allegedly giving him details to avoid getting caught and was reportedly aware of the murder plot. After her arrest, she gave important leads to the police during the interrogation.
Muhammad Ghulam’s brother Rahil Hassan was the chief of the district minority cell of BJP in Prayagraj. He was sacked from the post after his brother’s name appeared in the murder case. Rahil had said that he has no links with his brother and said that if Ghulam is killed in an encounter, he will not go to collect the body.
Umesh Pal was the prime witness of the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal, who was killed at the behest of Atiq Ahmed in 2005. Raju Pal became MLA by defeating Ashraf Ahmed. The election was held as Atiq Ahmed vacated his MLA seat after he became the MP.
