Prayagraj: The demolition exercise against the close aides of mafia-turned-politician and former MP Atique Ahmed continued on the second consecutive day as the house of an arms shop owner in Dhumanganj area was razed down by the Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) on Thursday, police sources said here.
Police sources said that the house of Safdar Ali, a resident of Kareli locality and is considered close to Atique, was demolished by the PDA. “The house built on a 200 square meter area is said to be constructed at a cost of more than Rs 3 crore,” they said.
Police sources said that Safdar, who owns an arms shop in the name of SSN Gun House, is accused of supplying arms to Atique Ahmed. “The layout of the house was not passed by the PDA and notices were issued to Safdar, but he didn’t reply to any of them,” they said.
Police sources said that the PDA team along with the force from several police stations and officers of the Revenue Department reached Safdar’s house on 60 feet road in Kareli area. “First the electricity connection of the house was snapped after which time was given to take out household items. After this three bulldozers demolished the house,” they said.
Police sources said that the houses of all the criminals involved in the Umesh Pal murder case and those providing them help will be demolished. “In this series the house of Zafar Ahmed, a close aide of Atique, in Chakiya was demolished by the PDA on Wednesday. Atique’s wife Shaista Parveen was living in that house along with her children,” they said.
Police sources said that Shaista is absconding after being named in the murder of Umesh Pal, the main witness in Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, who was shot dead in 2005.
Meanwhile, Safdar Ali Claimed that he had nothing to do with Atique and his accomplices. He said that the action was being taken on a false complaint.
Safdar said that no notice was served to him by the PDA. He said that three firearms of Shaista Parveen, including a rifle, revolver and gun, were deposited in his shops on the orders of the court during the regime of BSP supremo Mayawati.
It may be noted that Umesh Pal and two of his gunner Sandeep Nishad were shot dead in front of his house in Sulem Sarai in Dhumanganj area on February 24. One of the gunners, Ravindra Singh, who sustained serious injuries, succumbed to injuries at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Lucknow on Wednesday evening.
