The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday confiscated property of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in Prayagraj. The property is said to be worth Rs 50 crores.
The authorities have stated that the property was purchased allegedly from criminal activities. UP authorities have said they acquired Atiq’s 2.377 hectares of land which was purchased using money from crime-related activities.
The property was registered under a mason named Hoobalal. Atiq also claimed that he would transfer the land to his own name if necessary, PTI reported.
Reportedly, the property has been seized under Section 14(1) of the Gangsters Act.
On Tuesday, the UP Court deemed the authorities action as "fair and just", and the property was officially transferred to the state government.
TOI report quoting DCP (city) Deepak Bhuker said after court's judgement, “For the first time, the gangster court (Prayagraj) has ordered to vest the benami property of slain gangster Atiq Ahmed at Kathula Gauspur village to the state govt on July 15. The Prayagraj police had attached Atiq’s benami property worth crores of rupees at Kathula Gauspur village in Sadar tehsil under the Gangsters Act on November 6, 2023.”
Reports quoting police officials said that while investigating a case against Atiq under the Gangsters Act, they discovered he owned the property in Hooblal's name in the Airport police station area.
“During questioning, Hooblal revealed that he had nothing to do with the property, and Atiq had forced him to register the land in his name in 2015,” HT reported.
The late gangster Atiq and his brother Ashraf are said to have been involved in over 100 criminal cases, including the Umesh Pal murder case. Both were shot dead on April 15 last year by gunmen posing as journalists in front of live cameras.
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