Atiq killers shifted to Pratapgarh jail over security reasons

Lavlesh Tiwari, Sunny Singh, and Arun Maurya, the three men who who shot gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother, were shifted from Naini (Prayagraj) Central Jail to Pratapgarh District Jail on Monday. The official said the transfer was done on administrative grounds, as reported by news agency PTI.

The three assailants were arrested soon after the dramatic shootout outside the hospital in Prayagraj where policemen were escorting the brothers for a medical check-up Saturday night.

The trio were taken from Prayagraj at 12 noon and reached Pratapgarh at 2.10 pm, officials said.

Intelligence inputs suggested that there could have been an attack on the three in Naini jail. Hence, they were shifted to Pratapgarh this afternoon.

According to reports, all three shooters will be kept separately from other prisoners and their special monitoring will be done by jail officials.

The three men in their twenties, who cops say wanted to make a name for themselves by eliminating Ahmed's gang, were sent to judicial custody for 14 days after they were produced in court over the weekend.

It must be noted that one of the Atiq Ahmed son is currently lodged in the Prayagraj Central Jail in Uttar Pradesh.

Both Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf died instantly after being hit by over 13 bullets. Two days prior to the murder, Atiq's son, Asad Ahmed was killed in an encounter with the UP police in Jhansi.