'Car Was Speeding, Driver Lost Control': Atiq Ahmad's Son's Friend On Crash

Aban Ahmed, the 20-year-old youngest son of slain gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, and his friend were killed when their SUV crashed into a road divider in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district on Thursday, police said.

Aban's friend who was killed in the accident has been identified as 25-year-old Sonu, son of Raja, they said.

Late on Thursday night, family members took the bodies of both the deceased to Prayagraj, after a panel of three doctors conducted the post-mortem at Jhansi Medical College.

Three other occupants of the vehicles, who were injured and underwent treatment at the hospital, were also taken to Prayagraj.

Circle Officer (City) Ramveer Singh said the injured were shifted in an ambulance around 9.30 pm at the family's request so they could receive further treatment in Prayagraj, while the bodies of the two deceased were taken to the city shortly before midnight for the last rites.

According to police, Aban, a resident of Prayagraj, was travelling to Jhansi to meet his two brothers, who are lodged in separate jails there, when they met with the accident around 10.30 am.

Senior Superintendent of Police, BBGTS, Murthy said a preliminary inquiry suggested that the SUV was being driven at a high speed. "One of the injured passengers told us that the vehicle became uncontrollable before crashing into the divider," he said.

Speaking to reporters in Jhansi, Aban's twin brother Ahjam said, "Let our brothers attend the last rites." Giving details of the accident, Superintendent of Police (Rural) Arvind Kumar said it took place around 10.30 am on the Kanpur-Jhansi Road in the Poonch area. He identified the SUV as a Hyundai Creta bearing registration number UP 70 FW 2432.

The injured were Azam, 28, Mohammad Javed, 30, and Mohammad Umar, 24, all residents of Prayagraj, Kumar said.

Umar told reporters that they were on their way to a jail in Jhansi when the accident occurred.

"The car was travelling at a high speed, and the driver lost control," said Umar, lying on a stretcher.

Police officers said an investigation has been launched and footage from CCTV cameras installed along the national highway was being examined. Police will also probe whether the driver lost control after an animal suddenly came in front of the vehicle, though no conclusive findings have been reached so far.

Aban is expected to be laid to rest at Kasari Masari in Prayagraj, where other members of the family are also buried.

He was the youngest of Atiq Ahmed's five sons and was slightly younger than his twin brother Ahjam. Of the five brothers, Umar and Ali are currently lodged in separate jails in Uttar Pradesh.

Another son, Asad Ahmed, who was wanted in the Umesh Pal murder case, was killed in a police encounter near Jhansi in April 2023. Umesh Pal was a key witness in the 2005 murder of BSP MLA Raju Pal. Atiq Ahmed was also an accused in the case.

Atiq Ahmed's wife Shaista Praveen, who is also an accused in the high-profile murder case, is absconding, according to police.

On April 15, 2023, Atiq Ahmed, 60, and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists while they were being escorted by police to a medical college in Prayagraj for a check-up.

The killings, carried out in full view of television cameras, had drawn nationwide attention. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)