Two men in white headscarves - similar to the ones worn by murdered UP gangster Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf - were 'shot dead' while they were talking to 'reporters' in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj today.
The two men were part of a crime scene reconstruction by a special investigation team (SIT) of the UP Police that is handling the on-camera murder case of Atiq Ahmed, a former MP, and his brother.
The police took the three accused in the case to the same spot near a hospital where the former Samajwadi Party MP and his brother were being taken for a medical check-up.
During the crime scene reconstruction, the two men are seen walking slowly amid a crowd of reporters. A few policemen are also following them. Then a man suddenly points a gun at Atiq Ahmed's head and shoots him point-blank. Two more men are seen shooting several times at the gangster's brother. Within seconds the gunners are pinned to the ground by policemen, just as how it all unfolded on Saturday night.
A judicial committee formed by the UP government to investigate the matter also saw the crime scene reconstruction today.
Earlier today, three friends of one of the killers, Lovelesh Tiwari, were detained from a train station in UP's Banda.
The two other accused are Sunny Singh and Arun Maurya. Sources have said it was Sunny Singh who brought Lovelesh Tiwari and Arun Maurya together to carry out the shootout. Sunny Singh has over a dozen cases filed against him.
Sources have said the three accused made some big disclosures during their interrogation. The entire operation to kill Atiq Ahmed, planned by Sunny Singh, sources said, was heavily influenced by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's communally charged speeches and dreamt of a "big kill" like that of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead allegedly by members of Lawrence Bishnoi's gang in May last year.
The shooters, all in their twenties, shouted "Jai Shri Ram" before being overpowered by the police.
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