Prayagraj : The Umesh Pal murder case was significant and difficult for UP Police and the UP Special Task Force (STF) since it entailed the assassination of a critical witness as well as two policemen who were providing him with security, according to a top police official on Thursday.
According to Amitabh Yash, ADG Uttar Pradesh STF, the encounter involving Asad Ahmad, son of mafioso-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, and Ghulam Mohammad, both accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, was a huge success.
It was an important case for UP Police and UP STF because a key witness in a case (the murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal) was killed, as were two police security guards with automatic weapons, the officer added. It was an attack on the criminal justice system, he continued, alluding to Umesh Pal’s and his police security guard’s murder.
Umesh Pal testified as a critical witness in the assassination of BSP MLA Raju Pal by Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf. In the Umesh Pal kidnapping case, Atiq Ahmad has already been convicted and sentenced to life in jail.
Atiq Ahmad’s son Asad and an accomplice, both sought in the Umesh Pal murder case, were killed earlier today in an encounter with Uttar Pradesh Police near Jhansi, police said. According to authorities, Asad and his assistant Ghulam were travelling across different states following the murder of Umesh Pal. According to Anant Dev Tiwari, Deputy Inspector General of UP STF, the police tracked them down in Jhansi, where they reacted by shooting on the cops.
After the Umesh Pal murder, they (Asad and his aide Ghulam) were travelling across several states. We got a tip and tracked them down in Jhansi. They opened fire on the police team, and the STF team shot them down, Tiwari added.