Video Producer: Mayank Chawla
Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
'Most wanted' by the Uttar Pradesh police, carries a reward of Rs 5 lakh, a close aide of Atiq Ahmed and popularly known as 'bambaaz' — this is the story of Guddu Muslim. Following the murder of mafia-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf and the encounter of death of Atiq's son Asad, the UP police is carrying out a massive manhunt for his closest aide Guddu Muslim.
"Guddu Muslim" were also the last words spoken by Ashraf seconds before being gunned down in front of the TV cameras.
Guddu Muslim, one of the prime accused in the Umesh Pal murder case, has been evading arrest ever since the Prayagraj shootout on 24 February this year that killed Pal and two policemen.
Key witness in the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, Umesh Pal and his two police-appointed gunners were killed in a brazen shootout where armed men, in a purported CCTV video, could be seen firing indiscriminately and hurling bombs.
A middle-aged man in white shirt, black pants and sports shoes who had arrived at the shootout spot riding pillion on a motorcycle and was seen hurling bombs from a black bag. He was later identified as Guddu Muslim.
Guddu's Brush With Law
Guddu, an expert bomb maker, was first arrested in 1999 in a narcotics case. UP Special Task Force (STF) ADG Amitabh Yash, who was then posted as ASP in Gorakhpur, had arrested Guddu in an NDPS case. Guddu was eventually sentenced for 10 years. He was allegedly bailed out by Atiq and since then has been one of his close associates.
As per sources in the police department, Guddu is an expert bomb maker. Crude bomb is one of the most commonly used weapons in Prayagraj. From goons in Allahabad University, outlaws in criminal gangs to student fights in school, the "homemade" bomb has been consistently used to either settle scores or spread terror.
Policemen privy to his expertise claim he carries equipment and materials used in making a bomb and can quickly assemble one without anyone noticing it. This is how he earned the famous title of "Guddu bambaaz" among criminal gangs and law enforcement agencies.
Guddu has worked with several criminal gangs in Uttar Pradesh. His name came up during probe in the murder of Bahubali contractor Satish Singh in 1997. Contractor Satish was allegedly killed by gangster Sri Prakash Shukla who sprayed bullets on Satish using an AK-47 in Faizabad. According to retired IPS Rajesh Pandey who is also one of the founding members of STF, Guddu was with Satish when the latter was killed in a shootout by Shukla. Guddu was called in for questioning during the probe, retired IPS Pandey said.
On the day of the shootout where Umesh and his two gunners were killed, one of the bombs Guddu hurled blasted close to one of the police gunners trying to take cover following the ambush. He later succumbed to his injuries.
Guddu's distinct appearance and finesse in handling bombs was what gave him away when the purported CCTV footage of the shootout surfaced in media, sources privy to investigation claimed.
Where is Guddu Muslim?
Despite the massive manhunt by several teams of Prayagraj police and UP STF, Guddu Muslim has been evading arrest for the past two months. He was last seen in Meerut on 5 March 2023, nine days after the murder of Umesh Pal.
According to sources in STF, Guddu had arrived in Meerut at the residence of Akhlaq Ahmad, Atiq's brother-in-law. He is said to have stayed in the house for a couple of hours and is said to have received monetary help from Akhlaq's family before he boarded a bus to Delhi.
Several purported CCTV footage of Guddu entering Akhlaq's house and meeting his family also surfaced in the media. Akhlaq was later arrested.
The local STF unit in Meerut which was tipped off about Guddu's arrival could not make it on time. As an STF scrambled to nab Guddu, he had again disappeared.
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