Suspense on motive of killing Atiq Ahmad even as more details emerge about suspects

New Delhi: So who are the three alleged shooters of mafia brothers - Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf Ahmad, who were gunned down in police custody last night while being taken for a police check-up?

UP police have stated that at least two of them have prior criminal records.

One of the alleged killers, Mohit alias Sunny Singh, 23, is a history-sheeter of Kurara police station in Hamirpur of Uttar Pradesh. He has 14 cases registered against him on the charges of attempt to murder, narcotics smuggling and violation of the Arms Act and Gangsters Act. 

Lovelesh Tiwari is a 22-year-old criminal from Banda in Uttar Pradesh. The cases against him range from violation of the IT Act. harassing women, illicit liquor trade and involvement in scuffles. 

The third alleged killer is Arun Maurya who is 18-year-old and the police are looking for his antecedents.

All three surrendered after indiscriminately shooting Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed to death. 

The police are also trying to look for the source of the three weapons that these criminals were carrying. Two of the weapons recovered from them, 9mm pistols, are made in Turkey. Third was also a pistol of 7.62 bore but it was countrymade.

Sources said the killings were carried out under a conspiracy and it was not a spur-of-moment crime. Recovery of sophisticated weapons shows a larger conspiracy and involvement of a gang with access to such weapons.

Sources added these boys were carrying channel mic IDs and video cameras to act as media men and that’s how they managed to reach the mafia brothers.

This is also indicative of a well-thought-out plan to eliminate Atiq and his brother.

Sources added that the killers knew that they could reach Atiq and Ashraf as media personnel.