As he stepped out of Sabarmati central jail here and was being taken to Prayagraj by Uttar Pradesh police, gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed on Sunday expressed fear that he might be murdered. "Hatya, hatya (murder, murder)," Ahmed told reporters outside the prison while being whisked away in a police vehicle by security personnel . When some reporters asked him if he feared for his life, the former Samajwadi Party MP said, "Mujhe inka programme maloom hai. Hatya karna chahte hain (I know their programme. They want to murder me)."
He also said that his appearance in a Prayagraj court was a just pretext for the police to kill him. "Court ke kandhe pe rakh ke maarna chahte hain (They want to kill me under the pretext of court appearance)," he said as he was taken towards the van.
A team of the Uttar Pradesh police reached the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad city in the morning to take him to Prayajrag where he will be produced before a court on March 28 when it passes an order in a kidnapping case in which he is an accused.
Earlier in the day, the Police had presented a production warrant against Ahmed, main accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. Ahmed is currently lodged in the Sabarmati jail in Gujarat.
Ahmed is the main accused in the 2005 murder case of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal, and was recently booked after Umesh Pal, a key witness in the case, was shot dead in Prayagraj in UP on February 24.
Atiq's brother to be brought to Prayagraj
Atiq's brother Ashraf will also be brought to Prayagraj. Ashraf is lodged in Bareilly jail.
Just a few days ago, a video of the Prayagraj shootout emerged where gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's son is seen chasing Umesh Pal even inside a street.
This latest video of 24 seconds of the Umesh Pal murder case is new evidence for the police which was captured in CCTV footage. Now the police is taking forward the investigation on the basis of this new video.
Atiq Ahmed expresses disbelief on UP Police
Earlier, Atiq Ahmed expressed his lack of trust in the UP Police when he was presented at a CBI court in UP. Therefore, he had requested the court for a CBI team with him during the time of transfer. Thus, a CBI tea will also accompany the UP police team during the transfer of the gangster-turned-politician to Prayagraj.
Earlier this month, Ahmed had moved the Supreme Court for protection, claiming he and his family have been falsely "roped in" as accused in the Umesh Pal murder case and the Uttar Pradesh police may kill him in a fake encounter.
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