LUCKNOW: Around a fortnight ahead of the gruesome killing of lawyer Umesh Pal and his two police guards, the alleged assailants, including gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed’s son Asad Ahmed and his accomplices, had met uncle Ashraf in Bareilly jail.
A video of the said meeting went viral on social media platforms on Monday. In over two-minute video, shot on February 11, 2023, nine persons, including Mohd Asad Ahmed (son of Atiq Ahmed), Mohd Ghulam, Guddu Muslim, Vijay Chaudhary alias Usman, Sadakat Khan and others are seen entering Bareilly jail together on a single ID.
Sources said, the entire contingent of Umesh Pal’s alleged killers remained with Ashraf on jail premises for around three hours on February 11. Police claimed the meeting was convened to give final touches to the conspiracy already hatched to eliminate Umesh Pal-- a key witness in 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case.