Woman allegedly linked to gangster-politician Mukhtar held in Ghazipur for land grabbing, extortion
LUCKNOW: A 50-year-old woman allegedly led by gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was arrested by the Ghazipur police in a land-grabbing and extortion case. According to police sources, Nikhat Parveen, the accused arrested, has half a dozen cases registered against her in Ghazipur, including two under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. All six cases were lodged during the last two years. Nikhat, who had been on the run for the last nine months in connection with the land grabbing case, was arrested from Kasimabad area of Ghazipur by the district police while acting on a tip-off from an informer on Monday. She was produced in court, which remanded her to judicial custody. She had been jailed earlier as well and was released on bail, said Nand Kumar Tiwari, Station House Officer of Kasimabad police station. He added that Nikhat is the wife of Riyaz Ahmed Ansari, the chairman of the Bahadurganj Nagar Panchayat. The police sources claimed that the case in which Nikhat was wanted, was registered in January this year. She, her husband and two others were booked for allegedly forcibly taking possession of land belonging to one Suraj Sonkar, a member of the Dalit community. The land was allegedly transferred in Riyazs name through threats and intimidation. In his complaint, Surajs son, Subhash, claimed his father, out of fear, never shared his trauma with the family and the pressure he was facing. After Surajs death, Riyaz allegedly succeeded in getting the land transferred in his name. When Subhash learnt of this, he confronted Riyaz and Nikhat on December 27, 2024, and demanded the land back accusing them of manipulating the will. He alleged that Riyazs nephew Shakeel and brother-in-law Kamal Ahmed then arrived at the spot, and all four hurled casteist abuses at him. Shakeel and Kamal allegedly pushed him and threatened to kill him and his family if he pursued the matter or approached the police. As the case was lodged on the basis of a complaint submitted by Subhash and the police probe commenced. Additional Superintendent of Police, Ghazipur, Atul Kumar Sonkar, said police arrested Riyaz and the two co-accused but Nikhat fled. The case against Nikhat , her husband and their accomplices was registered on charges including an intentional insult aimed at provoking breach of peace along with criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt. Provisions of the SC/ST Act were also invoked against the accused, said police sources. Mukhtar Ansari, 63, who died in March, last year after suffering a cardiac arrest in Banda jail, where he was lodged, was a five-time MLA from the Mau constituency in eastern Uttar Pradesh. He was convicted in eight cases and was an infamous history-sheeter, with a total of 61 cases registered against him in various police stations across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.
23 C
