Lagatar24 Desk
Lucknow, Sep 28: The infamous Atiq Ahmad gang’s well-known accomplice Abdul Samad alias Saddam was arrested in Delhi on Thursday by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF).
Samad, who is also Ashraf Ahmed’s (Atiq’s brother) brother-in-law, had a Rs. 1 lakh bounty on his head.
The accused was apprehended at approximately 2 am when he arrived at a DDA flat in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, to visit his girlfriend. The flat is opposite to the Select City Walk shopping mall.
After his arrest, authorities found a car and two mobile phones in his possession.
Abdul Samad, a native of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, during interrogation, disclosed that he frequently moved residences in Delhi, Karnataka and Mumbai in order to avoid being arrested.
When Ashraf Ahmed was imprisoned at the Bareilly Prison, Abdul Samad is said to have been instrumental in arranging meetings between various individuals and Ashraf Ahmed.
Amitabh Yash, ADG UP STF, provided additional information about the arrest by stating, “Abdul Samad, alias Saddam, is the brother-in-law of Ashraf. He used to manage the work of Ashraf when Ashraf was in Bareilly Jail… He had taken all the shooters to Bareilly Jail to meet Ashraf using fake documents… We have found this in CCTV footage… There is a lawsuit against him in Bareilly Jail, and we have arrested him under that… He had taken all the shooters of Umesh Pal’s murder and arranged their meeting with Ashraf.”
“This operation (to arrest Abdul Samad, alias Saddam) was conducted by the Bareilly unit of the UP STF. He was arrested in Malviya Nagar, Delhi. He was an important and trusted member of the gang. Interrogation is going on, and we will inform you further about this,” said, ADG UP STF.
Two gangsters, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad, were shot and killed by assailants who pretended to be journalists on April 15 in Prayagraj.
The district court sent all three assailants, Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lovelesh Tiwari, to judicial custody.
Atiq Ahmed was charged with the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal as well as the murder of Umesh Pal in February this year, who was a crucial witness in that case.
