Bhubaneswar: Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF), which is currently on the hunt for Atiq Ahmed’s absconding aide Guddu Muslim, reportedly questioned one person at Bhatli in Odisha’s Bargarh district in connection with the case.
Sources identified the person as Raja Khan and it is being said that Guddu Muslim’s driver had stayed with him for some days in Bargarh after the Prayagraj incident. A native of Sundargarh, Raja Khan has been doing leather business at Bhatli.
He was let off by the STF after grilling on Thursday, the sources added.
Confirming the reports, Bargarh SP Prahlad Sahai Meena said that a 5-member STF team visited Bargarh on April 18. “The team camped in Bargarh for two days and grilled one person. We extended all cooperation as per rules. The team had informed us about its visit. They left yesterday.”
The SP added no one was arrested.
Guddu Muslim has been on the run since the gunning down of gangsters-turned-politicians Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf on Saturday night.
The chief of UP STF Amitabh Yash had earlier told the media that he is the a dreaded criminal and a former professional shooter. “When Umesh Pal was murdered, I identified him (Guddu Muslim) easily on CCTV. He can make bombs on the go. Until he is arrested, he remains a big threat,” he added.
Guddu was arrested in 1999 while smuggling drugs but got bail with the help of Atiq’s lawyers. He 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.
Notably, Ashraf’s last words, “Main baat yeh hai ki Guddu Muslim…” before he and his brother Atiq were pumped with bullets had put the spotlight back on the “bomb specialist”.
On Thursday, national media had reported that the gangster had taken shelter in Odisha’s Puri district. 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.
Guddu’s last known location was in Karnataka.
