LUCKNOW: Saturday’s killing of NCP functionary Baba Siddique in Mumbai has foregrounded disturbing parallels with sensational murders final yr of UP gangsters Atiq Ahmed and brother Ashraf in police custody in Prayagraj, in addition to the courtroom assassination of Sanjeev Maheshwari in Lucknow. In all three circumstances, the rising sample is that comparatively unknown shooters with no or restricted felony historical past had been contracted by highly effective, hidden gamers to execute high-profile murders with precision and deadly effectivity.
Atiq and Ashraf had been gunned down by three assailants – Lavlesh Tiwari (22), Mohit Singh alias Shani (23), and Arun Maurya (18) – at Colvin Hospital in Prayagraj on April 15, 2023. The brothers, dealing with trial for the 2005 homicide of BSP MLA Raju Pal, had been being escorted for a routine check-up when the , disguised as journalists, fired from shut vary. The capturing was executed in a swift method, leaving Atiq and Ashraf useless on the spot. The assailants are in jail now.
On June 7, 2023, Maheshwari – one other gangster with 24 circumstances towards him – was shot useless inside a Lucknow courtroom. The shooter, Vijay Yadav, posed as an advocate and fired six rounds at Maheshwari, killing him on the spot. Within the crossfire, a toddler and her mom had been additionally injured. Yadav, who had no identified private vendetta towards Maheshwari, was arrested instantly, elevating suspicion that he, too, was performing on behalf of a strong determine. A placing similarity is the usage of subtle, unusual weapons. The killers of Atiq and Ashraf had been armed with high-end 9mm Turkey Zigana pistols – costly, imported firearms.
