Puri: Guddu Muslim, a dreaded criminal of Uttar Pradesh and close aide of slain gangster Atiq Ahmed, who has been absconding, had reportedly taken shelter in Odisha’s Puri.
Guddu Muslim has been on the run since the gunning down of gangsters-turned-politicians Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf on Saturday night.
Reports appeared that Guddu Muslim, accused in Umesh Pal murder case, was at a hideout in Puri. Some news channels showed his location traced to the seaside pilgrim town in Odisha.
However, Puri district police denied having any information on presence of the notorious criminal in the seaside town. Police is yet to confirm the location of Guddu Muslim. “We have no information,” Puri SP Vishal Singh told the media while responding to queries on the notorious criminal.
It may be noted that Guddu Muslim is among the 10 accused named in the Umesh Pal murder case. Six of them have been killed and Guddu Muslim is among the four others who are currently on the run.
As per reports, Ashraf had taken the name of Guddu Muslim before his death.
“Main baat yeh hai ki Guddu Muslim… (the main point is that Guddu Muslim),” these were the last words of Ashraf before he and his brother Atiq were shot dead on Saturday night.
The Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh launched a manhunt to nab the remaining absconders and the main focus was on Guddu Muslim. The STF team of UP tracked his last location to Puri, as per reports in national media.
He had reportedly also taken shelter in Karnataka. Special teams have been formed to nab the dreaded criminal who is frequently changing places.
Guddu Muslim is reportedly known as the ‘bomb specialist’ and was a close aide of Atiq. Guddu Muslim, whose name propped up after the killing of Atiq and Ashraf, is described by senior UP police officials as the most dreaded criminal and a former professional shooter.