Don-Turned-Politician Assaults Lucknow Bizman in Jail, Forces Him to Sign Property Papers

New Delhi: Lawlessness and power misuse in Uttar Pradesh reached a new height on Sunday when an incident of abduction and assault inside state jail complex came to light. The 'abductor' was none other than mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, who has been booked in over 20 criminal cases, including 10 for murder.

Lucknow-based property dealer Mohit Jaiswal has alleged that Ahmad's men kidnapped him from outside his house in Krishnanagar. The accused took him to Deoria jail where they thrashed him and later dumped him near his house in the state capital

Jaiswal told police that he was kidnapped on December 26 by Ahmad's men and driven in his own SUV to the Deoria jail, 316 km from Lucknow. He said that the dreaded don and 25 men assaulted him inside jail complex and forced him to sign papers to handover property worth Rs 40 crore.

After he was let off, the victim first went to a hospital and later lodged a complaint with Krishnanagar police, accusing Ahmad, his son Umar and five aides of kidnapping and assaulting him.

According to reports, the Deoria jail administration has admitted that the two met inside the jail around 11 am on December 26, but claimed that the jail staff had no idea that he was kidnapped or was under any kind of coercion.

SP (Deoria) N Kolanchi told a leading national daily that they are checking CCTVs of the jail. "I have asked the jailer for a detailed information about the incident," he added. IG Gorakhpur Zone JN Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident and instructed SP Deoria to submit a report.

Meanwhile, District Magistrate Amit Kishore said that the CCTV recordings have been tampered with and they have initiated a committee to look into the matter.