Atiq killing: Accused Arun Maurya was arrested in 2 cases in Panipat last year, say police

Arun Maurya, alias Kalia, one of the accused arrested in the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf, was booked in cases of Arms Act and assault last year, the Panipat police said.

Ajit Singh Shekhawat, superintendent of police, Panipat, said Maurya was booked in two different cases of the Arms Act and assault in May and February last year, adding that he was arrested in these cases but later released on bail.

Maurya was born in Vikas Nagar of Panipat and later his father, Deepak Kumar shifted to Kadarwadi village in Kasganj district of Uttar Pradesh. Maurya primarily lived with his grandfather and uncle in Panipat. He had done his matriculation and he had also worked for a few months in a textile factory in Panipat.

Sunil said he had gone to their native village recently and learnt that Maurya told his family that he was going to Delhi to attend a friend’s wedding. On the murder of Atiq and his brother, Sunil said the family got to know about the incident through media reports.

“It came as a shock to us how Maurya could do this,” he added. He, however, claimed that they do not have any information about his links with any gangs. The police have recorded the statements of his uncle and grandfather.

Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by the three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.

The assailants -- Lavlesh Tiwari (22) of Banda, Mohit alias Sunny (23) of Hamirpur and Maurya -- were arrested soon after the shootout that took place in full view of camera crews outside the Prayagraj hospital.

(With PTI inputs)