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By India Today News Desk: Sunny, one of the three shooters involved in the murder of gangster-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj, is believed to have links with Sundar Bhati, a gangster from western Uttar Pradesh.
The Zigana pistol (a semi-automatic pistol produced by a Turkish firm), which was used to shoot Atiq and Ashraf, was reportedly given to Sunny by Sundar Bhati’s gang. But who is Sundar Bhati?
WHO IS SUNDAR BHATI?
Sundar Bhati is a gangster from Ghanghola village in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. He has over 60 cases of murder, murder attempt, extortion, robbery and assault registered against him. Bhati was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2021 for the murder of 35-year-old Harendra Pradhan in Dankaur in Gautam Buddh Nagar district. He is presently lodged in Sonbhadra jail.
BHATI MEETS SUNNY IN HAMIRPUR JAIL
About one-and-a-half years back, Bhati was lodged in Hamirpur jail. It is in this prison that Bhati reportedly met Sunny, who was behind bars for a robbery. Bhati is believed to have taken Sunny into confidence and inducted him into his gang.
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BHATI GANG POSSESSES AK-47, OTHER DANGEROUS WEAPONS
After Sunny was released from Hamirpur jail, he apparently kept in touch with Bhati’s henchmen. Bhati’s gang is believed to possess many dangerous weapons, including an AK-47. He has also reportedly been in contact with many arms smugglers and gangsters in Punjab. It is believed that Sunny got the Zigana pistol from shooters from Bhati’s gang.
HOW DID SUNNY GET HOLD OF AN EXPENSIVE PISTOL LIKE ZIGANA?
The police, investigating the murder of Atiq and Ashraf, have officially not given a statement regarding how criminals like Sunny had possessed expensive pistols like Zigana. An internal investigation is underway. A senior police officer, on the condition of anonymity, said nothing concrete about the enmity between Sundar Bhati and Atiq Ahmed has surfaced till now.
ALSO READ | Atiq, Ashraf killed with smuggled Turkish pistol banned in India | All about the weapon
MORE ON ATIQ & ASHRAF’S MURDER
On Saturday night, Atiq and Ashraf were shot dead in police custody in Prayagraj. The brother duo, accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, was on their way to a medical investigation and talking to mediapersons when the shooting happened. The entire incident was captured live on camera.
Three assailants — Sunny, Lavlesh Tiwari and Arun Maurya — posed as journalists and used Zigana pistols to eliminate Atiq and Ashraf in the presence of police.
ALSO WATCH | Atiq Ahmed killing: India Today journalist recounts what went down
After the shooting, the assailants were nabbed by the police and sent to 14-day judicial custody. The shooters said they killed Atiq and Ashraf because they wanted to achieve something huge in the crime world.
Atiq and Ashraf were hit by a total of 13 bullets, an autopsy report revealed. The shooters fired over a dozen rounds in just 22 seconds.
Atiq was hit by eight bullets. A bullet was found in his head, neck, chest and waist, according to the autopsy report. Ashraf was shot in the neck, back, wrist, stomach and waist, while three bullets were recovered from his body, and two bullets ripped through him, the autopsy said.
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(with inputs from Santosh Sharma)
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