PRAYAGRAJ: The close aide and financier of deceased gangster Atiq Ahmed, Nafees Biryani died during treatment at Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, said a press statement by police issued on Monday.
According to the official statement, Nafees Biryani was detained in Naini Central Jail under judicial custody but due to his ill health, he was admitted to SRN Hospital by the jail administration on Sunday evening.
The press note further mentioned that Nafees died during treatment and according to doctors, prima facie, the death is believed to be due to a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
Nafees Biryani was a wanted criminal carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 in the triple murder case of Umesh Pal and he was arrested after a police encounter on November 22, 2023, said the official statement.
Panchayatnama and postmortem proceedings are underway, added the official statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Principal of SRN Hospital, SP Singh, while speaking to ANI, said that Nafees had come to the hospital with a problem of breathlessness.
The SRN Hospital Principal further said that Nafees was having an issue with his kidney, his blood pressure was also not normal and Naseem’s oxygen saturation was also not being maintained despite additional support.
Gangsters Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were shot dead by assailants posing as journalists on April 15 outside the hospital in Prayagraj.
All three assailants — Arun Maurya, Sunny Singh and Lovelesh Tiwari — were sent to judicial custody by the district court.
Atiq Ahmed was accused in the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal and also in the killing of a key witness in that case, Umesh Pal, in February this year.
Meanwhile on December 15, the Allahabad High Court dismissed a writ petition filed by Atiq Ahmed’s son Ali Ahmed, seeking security in jail due to a threat to his life. Ali Ahmed had requested the court to conduct the hearing of his case through video-conferencing for security reasons. (ANI)