On Thursday, April 13, 2023, the Uttar Pradesh Police carried out a high-profile operation called “Operation Jhansi,” resulting in the death of Asad Ahmed, the son of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed. Asad was wanted in connection with a high-profile murder case.
The operation was meticulously planned by the Uttar Pradesh Police. The police had received a tip-off that Asad and his aide Ghulam were planning to attack the police convoy carrying Atiq Ahmed to help him escape while he was being brought to Uttar Pradesh for a court hearing in the Umesh Pal murder case. The police swiftly acted on the information and deployed teams of civil police and Special Forces to intercept Asad and Ghulam.
The operation was carried out with the help of the Special Task Force (STF). The STF was already tracking the developments in Jhansi and had come to know that a hideout of Guddu Muslim, an aide of Atiq Ahmed and one of the accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, was near the forest area leading to Parichha power plant, a kilometer from where the encounter took place.
A senior police official revealed that the police deployed heavy force near the Jhansi border from April 11, as a ploy to divert their attention, while a special police team in civilian clothes was surveying the area near Guddu’s hideout. A small team was deployed secretly near the area of Parichha power plant with surveillance and technical assistance from headquarters. The team was headed by a DIG-rank officer.
On April 12, night activity at the hideout of Guddu Muslim was witnessed, which alerted the police, and teams were stationed near the four routes. A team equipped with bulletproof jackets was designated to confront any potential threats head-on, while another team was tasked with scouting potential escape routes to neighboring districts and conducting inspections.
On Thursday, the encounter occurred at 12.45 pm when two teams intercepted Asad, 19, and Ghulam, 40, on the Kanpur-Jhansi highway. The duo was traveling on a bike when they were intercepted. The police said that Asad and Ghulam opened fire at the police, and the police retaliated with fire. As a result, both of them were killed. One British Bulldog Revolver .455 bore and Walther P88 7.63 bore pistol were recovered from Asad and Ghulam.
The operation was carried out successfully, and the police foiled the plan to attack the police convoy carrying Atiq Ahmed. Since Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s statement “Iss mafia ko mitti me mila denge” (will reduce this mafia to dust) in the assembly on February 25, the state police has taken strict action against criminals, and this operation is a part of that crackdown.
