The Uttar Pradesh Police STF killed Atiq Ahmed's son Asad and his close aide Ghulam in an encounter in Jhansi. Both were wanted in Umesh Pal murder case of Prayagraj and carrying reward of Rupees five lakhs each. The police said it has also recovered sophisticated foreign made weapons from them.

Umesh Pal, a key witness in the 2005 murder case of BSP MLA Raju Pal, and his two police security guards were shot dead outside his home in Prayagraj's Dhoomanganj area on February 24 this year.

Based on a complaint by Umesh Pal's wife Jaya Pal, a case was registered at Dhoomanganj police station against Atiq Ahmed, his brother Ashraf, wife Shaista Parveen, two sons, aides Guddu Muslim and Ghulam, and nine others. The FIR was lodged under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC. Ahmad is also an accused in the 2005 Raju Pal murder case.

Reacting to the encounter, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya congratulated the UP STF team for killing the wanted criminals. Taking to Twitter, he said, "Congratulations to UP STF, this was the fate of the killers of Mr. Umesh Pal Advocate and police personnel!"