Gangster’s Hidden Stash Unveiled: Security Guard’s Shady Role
Crackdown on Atiq Ahmed’s Hidden Wealth: Security Guard Holds 6 ‘Benami’ Properties in UP
A trail of hidden wealth linked to slain gangster Atiq Ahmed has been uncovered by the Income Tax department in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. The properties, estimated at Rs 60 crore, are believed to be “benami properties” registered under the name of a security guard, Suraj Pal. Pal, associated with Atiq Ahmed’s aide Mohammad Ashraf, worked as a security guard. The probe suggests that these properties were acquired using Pal’s name to mask Ahmed’s ownership.
Pal’s profile raised suspicions as he was a Below Poverty Line (BPL) cardholder, yet possessed widespread land parcels across Prayagraj. The investigation revealed inconsistencies in Pal’s Income Tax Returns (ITRs), indicating a mismatch between his reported liabilities and assets. His ITRs portrayed a surge in inventories and turnover that couldn’t be substantiated with his limited income.
The Income Tax Department also explored official property transaction data, discovering that numerous properties were registered in Pal’s name even before he filed his first ITR. Over the past decade, these properties have been frequently transferred, and at least 11 purchases and sales have been recorded since 2018. The unusually rapid sale of properties after Ahmed’s demise in April 2022 raised suspicions of an attempt to encash on the “benami properties.”
Ahmed, along with his brother Ashraf, was fatally shot outside a medical college in Prayagraj on April 15. The findings indicate a complex web of hidden assets linked to Ahmed and his associates, potentially uncovering a trail of illicit wealth transactions that may have serious legal consequences.