Benami properties of slain mafia Atiq Ahmad seized by Income-Tax department in Prayagraj

LUCKNOW: The Income-Tax department of the UP region has taken further action against the deceased mafia figure Atiq Ahmad. It has attached several land parcels in Prayagraj district that are held by a security guard who holds a Below Poverty Line (BPL) card.
The department suspects that these properties are benami, meaning they are held by someone on behalf of Atiq Ahmad, his family, and his gang, who are considered beneficiaries of these valuable properties.
This action marks the first step by the department's benami prohibition unit (BPU) in Lucknow against Atiq Ahmad. This follows a previous action against jailed mafia member Mukhtar Ansari, where properties worth Rs 12 crore were attached under an operation codenamed "Panther."
Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azim, also known as Ashraf, were killed earlier this year by three assailants while being taken for a health checkup by the police in Prayagraj.
According to sources within the Income-tax department, a person named Suraj Pal, residing in Prayagraj district, is identified as the 'benamidar' or the holder of these benami properties, owned by Atiq Ahmad and his gang.
Pal, who was a security guard for Mohammad Ashraf, a relative of Ahmad's slain brother Khalid Azim, holds a BPL ration card. The tax authorities summoned Pal, and upon his failure to appear, they issued an order to provisionally attach six land parcels in Prayagraj, collectively valued at over Rs 4.5 crore.
An examination of Suraj Pal's income tax returns revealed a significant increase in his income and assets over five years, from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 6.16 crore between 2018-19 and 2022-23.
The Income-tax department suspects that Atiq Ahmad, his family, and associates, including Mohammad Ashraf, are the actual owners of these assets.
Mohammad Ashraf, Pal's employer, has a history of alleged involvement in serious crimes and has been named in multiple police FIRs alongside Atiq Ahmad.
Additionally, Mohammad Ashraf and his father-in-law Mohammad Rafiq were co-accused in a police case involving the abduction of Umesh Pal, a key witness in the murder case of MLA Raju Pal.
In this murder case, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Khalid Azim were the primary accused.