Jhansi, Aug 6 (PTI): Aban Ahmad, the 20-year-old youngest son of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, and his friend were killed when their SUV crashed into a road divider in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district on Thursday, police said.
The other deceased has been identified as 25-year-old Sonu, son of Raja, they said.
The bodies have been sent for autopsy at the Jhansi Medical College. Three other occupants of the vehicle, who were injured in the accident, are undergoing treatment at the hospital, they said.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police, BBGTS, Murthy, police received information around 10.30 am that an SUV had crashed into a road divider after the driver lost control.
“Two people died in the accident, while three others sustained injuries. The injured are undergoing treatment,” he said.
Accordingt to police, Aban, a resident of Prayagraj, was travelling to Jhansi to meet his two brothers, who are lodged in separate jails there, when the accident happened.
Murthy said a preliminary inquiry suggested that the SUV was being driven at a high speed. “One of the injured passengers told us that the vehicle became uncontrollable before crashing into the divider,” he said.
The bodies of Aban Ahmad and Sonu were shifted to Jhansi Medical College, where a panel of three doctors was constituted to conduct the post-mortem examination, officials said.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Shishir Puri said the autopsy would be carried out after completion of police formalities and the bodies would be handed over to the families later at night.
Family members, including Aban’s twin brother Ahjam, arrived in Jhansi on Thursday evening after being informed about the accident.
Speaking briefly to reporters, Ahjam said, “Let our brothers attend the last rites.” Circle Officer (City) Ramveer Singh said Aban’s body would be handed over to the family after post-mortem and taken to Prayagraj for the last rites.
Giving details of the accident, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Arvind Kumar said it took place around 10.30 am on the Kanpur-Jhansi Road in the Poonch area. He identified the SUV as a Hyundai Creta bearing registration number UP 70 FW 2432.
The injured were Azam, 28, Mohammad Javed, 30, and Mohammad Umar, 24, all residents of Prayagraj, Kumar said.
Umar told reporters that they were on their way to a jail in Jhansi when the accident occurred.
“The car was travelling at a high speed, and the driver lost control,” said Umar, lying on a stretcher.
Police officers said an investigation has been launched and footage from CCTV cameras installed along the national highway would be examined. They will also probe whether the driver lost control after an animal suddenly came in front of the vehicle, though no conclusive findings have been reached so far.
Aban is expected to be laid to rest at Kasari Masari in Prayagraj, where other members of the family are also buried.
He was the youngest of Atiq Ahmad’s five sons and was slightly younger than his twin brother Ahjam. Of the five brothers, Umar and Ali are currently lodged in separate jails in Uttar Pradesh.
Another son, Asad Ahmad, who was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, was killed in a police encounter near Jhansi in April 2023. Umesh Pal was a key witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Atiq Ahmad was also an accused in the case.
Atiq Ahmad’s wife Shaista Praveen, who is also an accused in the high-profile murder case, is absconding, according to police.
On April 15, 2023, Atiq Ahmad, 60, and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists while they were being escorted by police to a medical college in Prayagraj for check-up.
The killings, carried out in full view of television cameras, had drawn nationwide attention. PTI KIS MAN COR CDN RUK RUK
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
