Investigations conducted jointly by police and administrative authorities revealed that gang members had allegedly encroached upon Prayagraj Development Authority (PDA) land along the IIIT Road in Kalindipuram, where they established a property dealing office. The office is reportedly operated by gang members and relatives, including Fahim, Mohammad Nuh, and Rashid alias Nilu.
Authorities have identified several properties allegedly purchased through proceeds of crime in Prayagraj’s Hatwa (Puramufti), Karelabagh, Kasari-Masari, Enuddinpur, Khuldabad, Civil Lines, Beli, Ashok Nagar and Pritam Nagar areas. In Lucknow, a building near Akbari Gate in Khokhitola containing three shops operating under the name Zamzam Jewellers has also come under scrutiny. Officials claim the property belongs to gangster Guddu Muslim and is currently managed by Mohammad Asif, a resident of Nirala Nagar on Sitapur Road.
Investigators have further identified three adjoining houses near Dabiruddaula Gate on Abdul Aziz Marg in Lucknow’s Chowpatia locality. These properties were allegedly purchased using Guddu Muslim’s funds and subsequently merged into a single unit. A flat in Nizam Residency, Chowpatia, is also said to belong to Guddu Muslim, although it is registered in the name of Mohammad Yab. The Zamzam Jewellers establishments near Akbari Gate and in Aminabad are also alleged to be operating with money generated through illegal activities.
More than 20 properties across Prayagraj and Lucknow have been earmarked for confiscation. Several additional assets in Lucknow have also been identified during the investigation. Officials suspect that Guddu Muslim, a close associate of Atiq Ahmed, remains absconding along with Atiq’s wife, Shaista.
The District Magistrate has directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Dhoomanganj) and the Inspector of Airport Police Station to coordinate with the Sadar SDM and secure all records necessary for the attachment of the Lucknow-based properties. They have also been instructed to verify the financial status of the recorded owners and submit a detailed report.
DM Manish Kumar Verma said investigations had uncovered numerous benami properties linked to Atiq Ahmed, Mohammad Ashraf and their associates. He stated that the process of attaching these assets in favour of the government had been initiated and that teams comprising administrative and police officials had been constituted to carry out the exercise.
According to officials, demolition, seizure and attachment proceedings have already been undertaken against properties worth approximately Rs 1,300 crore linked to Atiq Ahmed, Ashraf and their associates. Further action against identified assets will continue in the coming days.
