NEW DELHI: Phulpur MP Atiq Ahmed, who had been on the run ever since Ms Mayawati was sworn in as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in May last, was finally nabbed by the Delhi Police here late on Thursday evening.
The notorious MP, who was only recently expelled from the Samajwadi Party, was subsequently produced in Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjeev Jain’s court in the Tis Hazari premises. The UP Police’s request for a transit remand was immediately acceded to, and he’ll now be produced before an Allahabad court within two days. Till then, the Phulpur MP, who’s believed to have close links with the underworld, was ordered to cool his heels in the Tihar Central jail.
The 45-year-old Atiq is wanted by the UP Police in several criminal cases. But the one which shook the corridors of power in Lucknow, and eventually brought about his downfall, was the murder of BSP legislator Raju Pal, who had emerged as a major threat to his supremacy in and around Allahabad. The BSP leader had managed to outflank Mr Ahmed by wresting the Allahabad West assembly seat, which had come to be seen as a family pocket-borough, in 2004. Mr Ahmed had then fielded his younger brother Ashraf from the seat.
Mr Ahmed was arrested from Pitampura in north-west Delhi by a Delhi Police special cell on Thursday evening.
The UP police has been granted his transit remand in connection with nine cases filed against him under the state Gangster’s Act. “He was travelling in a car when our team intercepted him. No security personnel was accompanying him. We have already informed the UP Police about the arrest,” Joint Commissioner of Police Karnal Singh told reporters here on Friday.
On being produced in the Tis Hazari court, CMM Sanjeev Jain granted the UP police Mr Ahmed’s transit remand for production in an Allahabad court in two days, but sent him to the Tihar Central Jail here citing security concerns.
Mr Ahmed, who was out on bail in connection with the gunning down of Pal on January 25, 2005 in Allahabad, had allegedly threatened witnesses for deposing against him in the matter and nine cases were registered against him.
The UP police had secured a non-bailable warrant against him, but the MP went underground following which a reward of Rs 20,000 was announced on his head. It also released seven sketches of him, all depicting him in various guises.
Mr Singh said the MP told interrogators that he had during this period stayed in Mumbai, Noida, Faridabad and various places in Delhi.The police said they were probing his political contacts in the national Capital. “He has all sorts of connections and we are investigating all those angles,” they said.UP chief minister Mayawati had last month accused Congress leaders of conspiring to eliminate her and claimed that they were ``shielding’’ Mr Ahmed, who was described as a part of the ``mafia.’’
Before becoming an MP, he was an MLA from Allahabad for a record five times from 1989 to 2004. He has 47 cases against him, including those of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and kidnapping.
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