Bhubaneswar: Almost 15 days after a five-member team of the special task force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh police visited Bargarh in Odisha to check suspected hideouts of Guddu Muslim, television channels on Tuesday broadcast a CCTV footage purportedly of the slain gangster Atiq Ahmed’s aide, who is also an accused in the Umesh Pal murder case.
In the video clip dated April 11, 2023, a person can be seen walking on the premises of a residential house in the western Odisha town.
Later, a man came forward claiming that he is the person in the CCTV footage which went viral with misleading context and identified himself as Sheikh Hamid Muhammad.
A resident of Sohela, he said that footage was of him going to read the namaz. He rued unnecessarily being dragged into this controversy.
Calling out the news outlets for running fake story, he said that they should be penalised and such character assassination should not happen.
A purported CCTV footage (April 11) of a man claimed to be Umesh Pal Murder suspect Guddu Muslim hiding in Odisha has surfaced. Sheikh Hamid Mohammad now claims he is the person in the CCTV footage which was made viral with misleading context. pic.twitter.com/KXqvoXX1wI
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) May 9, 2023
According to reports, Guddu had dodged the STF team 4 times and was in contact with Atiq and Ashraf till April 11. He stayed in Bargarh for almost 12 days from April 2 till April 13, and then fled to Chhattisgarh.
Also Read: Atiq Ahmed’s Aide Guddu Muslim Was In Odisha For 12 Days! Know What Reports Say
In April, UP Police’s STF had questioned one Raja Khan, an associate of Guddu’s driver, in Bargarh. The businessman, who resides in Bargarh’s Sohela, told the investigators that Guddu has grown beard to avoid detection by police. It is being said that Guddu Muslim’s driver had stayed with him for some days in Bargarh after the Prayagraj incident when gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were gunned down.
Earlier, reports also claimed that Guddu was at a hideout in Puri. Some news channels showed that his location was traced to the seaside pilgrim town in Odisha. “We have no information,” Puri SP Vishal Singh told the media while responding to queries on the notorious criminal.
While six accused named in the Umesh Pal murder case have been killed, Guddu and three others are on the run. Ashraf had taken his name 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.
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.
