Rs 148 crore properties of 42 dons seized in Prayagraj in 32 months

PRAYAGRAJ: The police here claimed to have attached properties worth Rs148 crore of 42 mafia elements, including mafia don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad between January 1, 2020 and August 15, 2022.
While properties worth 70.39 crore of 28 mafias were seized in 2020, properties of Rs 31.29 crore and Rs 46.20 crore were also attached in 2021 and eight months of 2022 from nine and five mafia elements, respectively.
From July 4 onwards, properties worth Rs 41. 11 crore belonging to three mafia elements, including Atiq Ahmad who is lodged in Sabarmati jail of Gujarat, were seized in just one and half months of this year. Atiq has a total 96 criminal cases registered against him.
Ironically, out of total attached properties worth Rs 148 crore in the past three years, about 60% belonged to Atiq Ahmad, police claimed.
Senior superintendent of police (Prayagraj) Shailesh Kumar Pandey told TOI, “A fresh drive has been launched to identify and attach the properties of mafias, history-sheeters and gangsters in the district.”
He added, “Joint teams of police, revenue and administration have attached illegal properties worth Rs 24 crore out of 46.20 crore belonging to Atiq Ahmad this year.”
The SSP further said, “Thana cops have been entrusted to compile a detailed report of properties and other assets of mafias, history- sheeters and gangsters accumulated through illegal means. We would then send reports to the district authorities concerned for their seizure and attachment.”
Sleuths of intelligence agencies have also been roped in to compile minute details while the revenue department would assist the police to identify and verify illegal properties of law-breakers in villages, block and semi-urban pockets of the district, he said.
Currently, police have taken over land worth crores of rupees allegedly belonging to mafias, history-sheeters and hardened criminals in Puramufti, Kareli, Nawabganj, Jhunsi and trans-Ganga, trans-Yamuna pockets along with neighbouring Kaushambi district under its scanner for scrutiny.
Police were also coordinating with their Kaushambi and Pratapgarh counterparts to find the illegal land and properties belonging to the criminals.
Recently, a joint team of police, revenue department and administration had attached around six-bigha (1.4602 hectare) land belonging to Atiq Ahmad in Koilaha village in Kaushambi district under the Gangster Act on August 12. The attached land was worth around Rs 24 crore.
Before this, police had attached properties worth Rs 5 crore belonging to Mohammad Muzaffar at Bamrauli Uparhar area under the Gangster Act on August 5.
Mohd Muzaffar, a resident of Chafri village, was involved in cow smuggling cases and had more than 25 cases registered against him at different police stations of Prayagraj and Kaushambi. Muzaffar, currently lodged at Naini Central Jail, was a hard-core member of Atiq Ahmad gang.