'Killed gangster Atiq Ahmed to become popular', say assailants

The three assailants, arrested for the murder of Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed in Prayagraj told police that they wanted to make a name for themselves by eliminating the gang.

Uttar Pradesh Police has filed an FIR against three suspects- Lavelesh Tiwari, Arun Maurya and Sunny- in the Atiq Ahmed-Ashraf murder outside a Prayagraj hospital on April 15.

"We wanted to kill gangster-turned politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf to become popular," the shooters told the police during the interrogation.

The killers also claimed that has planned to fled the crime scene but they failed as the police in a swift action got hold of them.

"When we got to know about the police custody of Atiq and Ashraf, we were planning to kill them. Disguised as journalists, we reached the Prayagraj hospital and migled with mediapersons. When we got the right opportunity, we pulled the trigger and sucessfully implemented the plan," the accused told police.

Mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were shot dead while being taken to a medical facility in Prayagraj.

The horrific incident took place at around 10 pm on Saturday, when Atiq flanked by several policemen, was speaking to the media when three people, disguised as journalists came out of nowhere and shot the gangster and his brother dead.

Soon after the police overpowered the killer and arrested them. Videos of the incident, that surfaced on social media show the killers chanting the slogans of "Jai Shri Ram" after killing the gangster.

The bullet-riddled bodies of Ahmad and Ashraf were taken away from the spot as tension gripped the area after the sensational killings.

While Lavlesh Tiwari is a resident of Kotwali in Banda, Sunny hails from Hamirpur district and Arun Maurya is from a village called Baghela Pukhta within the limits of Soron Kotwali police station in Kasganj.

Atif was killed on a day the last rites of Ahmad's son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed in Prayagraj.