Zafar Ahmed faces half a dozen cases.
The daylight killing of a murder witness in Uttar Pradesh was planned in the house in Prayagraj that faced bulldozer action this morning. The house belonging to Zafar Ahmed, a close relative of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, also hosted the killers.
The case pertains to the killing of lawyer Umesh Pal, who had witnessed the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, a rival of former Samajwadi Party leader Atiq Ahmed.
Atiq Ahmed, who is in jail in Ahmedabad, allegedly plotted Umesh Pal's murder before he could record a police statement.
Umesh Pal's murder was plotted at the Prayagraj house of Zafar Ahmed, which was also close to Atiq Ahmed's house. It was here that the killers met Atiq Ahmed's wife and BSP leader Shaista Parveen.
Shaista Parveen, who has been named in Umesh Pal's killing along with her son Asad Ahmed, was staying at the house with her children in 2021.
The house belonging to Zafar Ahmed, who faces half a dozen cases, did not have adequate clearances, sources said.
Arms and ammunitions were also recovered during a search of the bungalow, sources said today.
Bulldozer action is expected on the houses of Atiq Ahmed's other aides - Guddu Muslim, Nafeez, Arman, Sadakat, and Ghulam.