UP police nabs aide of slain gangster Atiq Ahmed from Rajasthan

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday arrested an aide of slain gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad from Rajasthan's Ajmer in connection with an extortion case, officials said here. They said Mohammed Javed, alias Pappu Ganjia, has been named in over 40 criminal cases, including those of murder, extortion, illegal mining and robbery, and jailed multiple times.

In 2022, he was booked on extortion charges in Prayagraj following which a reward of Rs 50,000 was announced on his arrest, Deputy Superintendent of Police (STF, Prayagraj) Navendu Kumar said.

He said the case was registered at the Naini police station under IPC sections 386 (extortion), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult) and 506 (criminal intimidation).


The 51-year-old, who had been booked under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) in 1991, was held by the Noida unit of the STF from a hotel in Ajmer around 7 am, the agency said in a statement.

In 2022, Javed demanded extortion money from one Vishal Yadav over a property dispute after which the latest FIR was lodged against him, the STF said.

The STF's Prayagraj unit, which was probing this case, found that Javed might be hiding in Ajmer. The inputs were shared with the Noida unit, which nabbed him from the Baagh-e-Rahmat hotel in the Phool Gali area of Ajmer, the statement added.

Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were shot dead by assailants when they were being taken for a medical examination in police custody in April.