A contract killing plot has come to the fore in Lucknow, with two lawyers – in a gang of six – accused of taking out a ₹ 2 lakh hit on a madrasa operator, police said on Friday.
He allegedly introduced Shahid and Zamir to the two lawyers and supplied them with the firearm, a stolen motorcycle and a separate keypad phone and SIM card to avoid detection. Among those arrested are the two lawyers, a madrasa manager-cum-property dealer and three alleged shooters/facilitators. The six arrested accused have been identified as Aman Qureshi, Soheil Ahmed Siddiqui, Mohd Farhan Siddiqui, Bilal Hashmi, Mohd Shahid and Mohd Zamir. “We subsequently formed five teams with the surveillance cell to trace Qureshi. He allegedly had access to documents and information related to the madrasa’s property and was acquainted with the two lawyers, who were also his clients. Police have recovered a pistol with a magazine, five live cartridges and the stolen motorcycle. A separate theft case related to the motorcycle is registered at Ghazipur police station.
“The plot came to light after police arrested Mohd Shahid and Mohd Zamir (the hired killers) on August 18 near the Indira Nagar Metro station area. “During questioning, the two allegedly told the police that Aman Qureshi had shown them a photograph of the target and offered them ₹ 2 lakh to carry out the killing. He was arrested around 2.15am on Friday from inside Laxman Mela Park,” the ACP added. Investigators then arrested Siddiqui, Farhan and Bilal Hashmi around 10.45am on Friday near a temple under the Baikunth Dham embankment road.
The Hazratganj police said they arrested six men in connection with the alleged conspiracy to kill Irfan Ahmed Rizvi, who runs Madrasa Jamia Al Noor Al Salamia in Makbool Nagar, Faridipur. They are to be produced before a court, police said. The duo were allegedly riding a stolen motorcycle and carrying a pistol and five live cartridges while conducting reconnaissance for the killing,” said ADCP Central JK Dubey. They were also allegedly provided with the firearm and ammunition,” said ACP Hazratganj Rajneesh Verma. Qureshi allegedly told the police that Soheil Ahmed Siddiqui and Mohd Farhan Siddiqui, both lawyers from Chowk, had approached him to arrange men to kill Rizvi. Hashmi was the manager of Rizvi’s madrasa and also worked as a property dealer, according to the police.
