Gangster-politician Atiq Ahmad, who was shot dead along with his brother at point-blank range, had admitted during questioning by police that he had links with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence and militant outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba, according to a first information report (FIR).
Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.
The three accused -- Lavlesh Tiwari, Sunny and Arun Maurya -- were arrested over their alleged role in the crime.
As per an FIR registered at the Shahganj police station, Ahmad admitted to having links with the ISI and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Police said Ahmad's statement was recorded on court orders.
'The ISI, using drones, used to drop weapons in Punjab, and someone linked to the ISI used to collect these arms and send some of them to LeT, some to Khalistan separatist organisations, and some weapons like .45 bore pistol, AK-47 and RDX were made available to me, and I used to pay for the same.
'People belonging to these organisations also used to come to my place. And, information gathered from their conversations suggested that they wanted to cause a major incident in the country,' Ahmad had told police.
He also told police that he knew the whereabouts of some of these people associated with ISI and LeT, while his brother knew the details of others.
The five-time MLA also said that the weapons taken from (LeT and ISI) were used in the murder of Umesh Pal and two policemen in February this year.
'I know the places where the weapons have been kept. These places do not have house numbers. If you (police) take me and my brother together, we can identify these places,' he had said.
Meanwhile, the three men arrested for murdering Ahmad and his brother told police that they wanted to make a name for themselves by eliminating the gang.
The accused told police that they wanted to make their name and identity in the state by eliminating the gang of Ahmad and Ashraf, and that they will definitely get the benefit in future.
They also said that they could not escape after the crime as the police in a swift action got hold of them.
"Since the time we got to know about the police custody of Ahmad and Ashraf, we were planning to murder them. So we posed as journalists and when we got the right opportunity, we pulled the trigger and implemented the plan," one of the accused told police.
Ahmad, 60, and his brother Ashraf, both jailed in Prayagraj, were in handcuffs when they were killed in full view of camera crews around 10 pm on Saturday.
The horrifying visuals were circulated widely on social media platforms and television channels.
The last rites of Ahmad's son Asad, who was gunned down in a police encounter in Jhansi on April 13, were performed in Prayagraj just hours before the shooting.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has formed a three-member judicial commission to probe the killing of the brothers.
