Prayagraj, Oct 9 Zainab Fatima, the wife of slain gangster Ashraf Ahmed -- the brother of another slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed -- has filed a writ petition before the Allahabad High Court, challenging the FIR lodged in connection with the February 24 Umesh Pal murder case.
The case is likely to be listed before the high court for hearing next week.
Atiq and Ashraf Ahmed were shot dead by three assailants in police custody while they were being taken for a medical check-up at a hospital in Prayagraj on April 15.
In the writ petition, Zainab Fatima has requested the court to stay her arrest in the murder case and also quash the FIR lodged in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.
It is presumed that Zainab Fatima got this petition filed through her sister to evade her arrest in the Umesh Pal murder case as her name also cropped up as accused during the course of investigation.
She is wanted in the case.
In case she had filed the petition herself, she would have to appear before the photo affidavit (identification) centre of the high court to get herself photographed for affidavit, which is a mandatory for filing a writ petition in the high court.
Zainab had allegedly helped the shooters escape from Prayagraj after the crime in which Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case, and his two police guards were shot dead outside Umesh Pal’s home in Dhoomanganj area of Prayagraj on February 24 earlier this year.
At present, Zainab Fatima is absconding and her whereabouts are not known.
On a complaint lodged by Umesh Pal’s wife Jaya Pal, a criminal case was registered with Dhoomanganj police station against Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, Atiq’s two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam and nine others.
Earlier, Dhoomanganj police had formally declared slain mafia politician Atiq Ahmad’s wife Shaista Parveen as absconding.
It is worth mentioning that Shaista Parveen is also an accused in murder of Umesh Pal but is on the run since her name surfaced in the case.
A reward of Rs 50,000 has also been declared on her arrest.
Police teams have carried out raids at several places in Prayagraj region and even in other states but have failed to arrest Shaista Parveen and Atiq’s sister Ayesha Noori.
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