TNI Bureau: Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad has reportedly confessed to having plotted the murder of Umesh Pal, who was shot dead on February 24.

In course of the investigation, police arrested Atiq Ahmad, whom an MP-MLA court convicted on March 28 and sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment in the abduction case of Pal.

During interrogation, Atiq Ahmad, who is now in four-day police custody, confessed to having plotted the murder of Pal. Atiq’s bother Ashraf is also in police custody, which will continue till 5 PM on April 17.

The charge sheet filed by UP Police also revealed that Atiq has confessed that he has direct connections with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

It is to be noted here that Umesh Pal, the key witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, and his police security guards Raghavendra Singh and Sandeep Nishad were shot dead outside his home in Dhoomanganj. Several rounds were fired and bombs were hurled at them.