Lucknow: A year has passed since the tragic murder of mafia kingpins Atiq Ahmed and Ashraf. Prior to their demise, the police had been actively confiscating unlawfully acquired properties and benami assets under the Gangster Act. However, recent revelations indicate ongoing exposure of benami properties, with land purchases allegedly made in the names of Dalits. Prayagraj Police has reached out to the Delhi-based Special Task Force (STF) of the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax department to seize these concealed assets.

Prayagraj Police previously uncovered assets worth over Rs 12 crore registered under the name of Hublal, seizing them under the Gangster Act. Further investigations uncovered similar schemes under the guise of other Dalit individuals in Gangapar and Yamunapar. Substantial assets were discovered under the name of Shyamji Saroj, leading authorities to another benami property registered under the name of Shyamjeet. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Nagar Deepak Bhukar stated that the ED's STF is probing these benami properties, with reports submitted to both the ED and Income Tax authorities.

Earlier, the Prayagraj branch of the Enforcement Directorate had initiated legal action against Atiq and his associates under the Money Laundering Act, attaching properties worth millions. Following Atiq's demise, the ED seized 11 of his bank accounts. In April 2023, prior to his murder, the ED conducted raids on 15 locations associated with Atiq Ahmed's financial backers.

The raids targeted properties belonging to various individuals, including builder Sanjeev Aggarwal, Amitdeep Motors owner Deepak Bhargava, builder Kali in Kareli, Mohsin, CA Sabih Ahmed, advocate Khan Hanif Saulat, Khalid Zafar, Sitaram Shukla in Lukerganj, former MLA Asif Jafri in Kareli, and Wadud Ahmed in Kaushambi. During these investigations, property documents exceeding Rs 100 crore were seized, along with foreign currency, diamonds, and gold jewelry.

In subsequent actions, the office of builder Amit Goyal and the residence of builder Atul were raided, yielding crucial documents. To escalate legal proceedings, the case was transferred from Prayagraj to the Delhi STF of the ED for further investigation.

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