An MP-MLA court held gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmed guilty on Tuesday in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment for life.
A day after a court in Uttar Pradesh held gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmed in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment for life, the later claimed he was threatened with death by an officer.
On Tuesday, Ashraf was shifted to Bareilly jail, while Atiq is being brought to Gujarat's Sabarmati jail.
It has been reported that while he was being shifted to Bareilly jail, Ashraf claimed he would be taken out of jail in two weeks and would be killed.
"I have been threatened by an officer that I'll be taken out of jail in two weeks and will be killed," said Ashraf.
Speaking about the threat, Ashraf said the threat to him was given by a senior official, whose name would be divulged to the Chief Minister, Chief Justice of India and also to the Chief Justice of Allahabad.
An MP-MLA court held gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and two others guilty on Tuesday in the 2006 Umesh Pal kidnapping case and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment for life
Ahmad's brother Khalid Azim alias Ashraf and six others were acquitted by the court.
This is Ahmad's first conviction even though more than 100 cases were registered against the former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP over the years.
Government counsel Gulab Chandra Agrahari said special MP-MLA court judge Dinesh Chandra Shukla held Ahmad, Saulat Hanif, a lawyer, and Dinesh Pasi guilty under section 364A (kidnapping or abduction in order to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"The court has sentenced the trio to rigorous imprisonment for life and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh each," Agrahari said, adding that the amount will be given to the family of Umesh Pal, who was gunned down outside his Prayagraj residence on February 24.
The two brothers have also been named as an accused in the murder case.
After the completion of the court formalities, Ahmad and others were taken back to the Naini Central Jail in separate police vans.
In the evening, a police cavalcade carrying Ahmad left for the Sabarmati Central Jail in Gujarat, a senior official said.
Ahmad was brought from the Sabarmati jail by road for the hearing in the MP-MLA court here. He was kept in the Naini jail before the hearing.
(With PTI Inputs)