New Delhi

The three assailants who shot dead gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf from point-blank range in a daring murder in full public view, amid heavy police presence and TV camera crews all around in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj city have been identified, and have turned out to be petty criminals in police questioning so far, though further investigations are still on.

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The three accused have been identified as Lavlesh Tiwari (22), a resident of Banda, Mohit alias Sunny Singh (23) of Hamirpur and Arun Maurya (18) of Kasganj.

The three were apprehended seconds after shooting dead the dreaded gangsters at point-blank range in full camera view as they threw their firearms on the ground and raised up their hands to surrender. The whole incident was caught live on camera, and its videos —  some very chilling ones — spread like wildfire on social media.

During the cross-firing as the three assailants opened fire from different directions, Tiwari and a police constable Maan Singh suffered bullet injuries.

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According to police, the three executed their plan by posing themselves as media persons, carrying a camera and mic. It ensured them easy access to Atiq and Ashraf while they were being escorted for medical examination. 

After questioning Tewari, Sunny and Maurya, police said that the three assailants claimed that they decided to execute the murder brazenly in public to get fame and wanted to leave their mark in the world of crime.

The names of at least two of them already figure in the crime records of police stations in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

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Gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother shot dead by assailants in Prayagraj, UP

Lavlesh Tiwari

A resident of Banda, who did not share his name, told media that Tiwari was a “drug addict”, had gone rogue, and was unlike the members of his family.

“His family have been our neighbours. The family is simple. Two of his brothers are priests while one is still studying. Lavlesh has been into crime and has been to jail several times. He has also gone to jail in an eve-teasing case earlier,” he said, reports PTI news agency.

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“He had the ambition to earn a big name in the world of crime,” the person claimed.

On his Facebook profile, Lavlesh Tiwari claims to be a member of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist organisation.

Mohit alias Sunny

Sunny, too, is a criminal known for indulging in petty thefts and assault. A neighbour in Hamirpur said Mohit had left his home more than 10 years ago. There are 17 criminal cases registered against him in the district.

“He was a resident of Kurara, and was normal when he was young. He went to jail after a brawl, after which his mentality changed and he entered the world of crime. After a few incidents, he left Kurara. He was in Hamirpur jail for about a year," he said.

Also read | UP Police on alert amid fears of violence following mafia don Atiq’s killing

Speaking to news agency ANI, Pintu Singh, brother of shooter Sunny Singh, said, “He used to wander around and did no work. We live separately and don't know how he became a criminal. We have no idea about the incident.”

Arun Maurya

Neighbours of Arun Maurya in Kasganj are in complete disbelief. His parents died when he was young, and his brother is into scrap business in the national capital Delhi.

None of the villagers knows what Maurya did and where he lived. He too appeared to have left the village about a decade ago and never returned.

Police have charged the three men for murder and attempt to murder, as well as under the Arms Act. At least two firearms were recovered from the site of the shooting.

However, police sources said that the three had used highly sophisticated, semi-automatic Zigana pistols produced by Turkish firearm manufacturing company TISAS. The said pistols are illegal and banned in India. Since the price of these pistols is around Rs 6 to 7 lakh ($8,553), it is not yet known how they managed to procure them and leads to the suspicion that someone else was behind the killings.

(With inputs from agencies)

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