How Atiq Ahmed's Lawyer Used iPhone And FaceTime To Plan Umesh Pal's Murder

Vijay Mishra, the lawyer representing slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, was recently arrested outside Hotel Hyatt Legacy in Lucknow in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case. It has been revealed that Mishra was gifted an iPhone and used the FaceTime app to communicate with Atiq and his brother Ashraf.

Mishra stands accused of sharing Umesh Pal's location from the Prayagraj court before he, along with two policemen, was shot dead on February 24. He has been arrested under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Explosives Act, Criminal Law Amendment Act, and SC/ST Act.

According to LiveHindustan's report, the Uttar Pradesh Police is planning to seek custody of Atiq's lawyer to examine his phone and recover chat records. Police sources have disclosed that Atiq and Ashraf provided iPhones to their associates while plotting Umesh Pal's murder. Atiq's son, Asad Ahmad, even had FaceTime IDs for everyone involved to facilitate easy communication.

Umesh Pal, along with two policemen deployed for his security, was shot dead on February 24. He was the main witness in the BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case. Atiq and Ashraf, the main accused in the case, were also shot dead by three assailants on April 15 outside a hospital in Prayagraj while under police custody for a medical check.

In addition to Asad and Mishra, the shooters and helpers in the murder were also provided iPhones, according to the report.

Last month, the police filed a charge sheet against eight accused in the Umesh Pal murder case. The charge sheet includes Atiq, Rakesh alias Nakesh alias Lala, Arshad Katra, Niyaz Ahmad, Iqbal Ahmad, Shahrukh, Akhlaq Ahmad, and Khan Shoulat Haneef as the accused.

Earlier, another lawyer of Atiq, Khan Saulat Haneef, had informed the police that the gangster-politician had given him an iPhone to communicate with him, Ashraf, and Asad via the FaceTime app. Police had found the FaceTime IDs of the trio on the iPhone.

During the investigation, the police discovered a record of transactions worth several crores while examining the chat history on the recovered iPhone.

Saulat also revealed that Atiq had engaged in an argument with Umesh Pal over the phone, which ultimately led to Pal's murder on February 24.