CBI raids premises of Mukhtar Ansari, kin

Ghazipur, Sep 17 (UNI) The CBI today raided premises of controversial independent UP MLA Mukhtar Ansari and his close relatives, including his brother Afzal Ansari, the Samajwadi Party MP from Ghazipur.

Mukhtar Ansari, the MLA from Mau, and his brother along with many others are accused in the sensational Krishnanand murder that took place in November last year. The CBI is probing the matter.

The raids, which had started in the morning in Yusufpur area of the district, were conducted to nab two hardened criminals -- Ata-ur-Rahman and Munna Bajrangi -- also wanted in the sensational MLA murder case, highly-placed sources told UNI.

The premises raided included residences of Ansari brothers, their relatives and close aides.

The CBI has already announced a reward of Rs five lakh each on the head of Rahman and Manna Bajrangi.

The sources said the raids were conducted on a definite tip-off and continued till late afternoon. The search for the criminals in connection with the mysterious death of a couple of witnesses in the Krishnanad case was another reason for the raids, sources confirmed.

Incidentally, the raids took place two days after the controversial Independent MLA was acquitted in the Mau communal riots case due to lack of evidence.

He was acquitted by a Mau sessions court after most of the victims turned hostile. Sessions Judge Dinesh Gupta said the accused were being acquitted for want of evidence.

Ansari was accused in the murder of Ram Pratap Yadav during the October 2005 Mau riots, which continued for over 13 days leaving scores of people dead.

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