Delhi-based meat trader’s Rs 168cr assets in UP to be attached under Gangsters Act

Bijnor: Assets worth Rs 168 crore in UP purportedly linked to Delhi-based meat trader Atiq Ahmed, who has several criminal cases registered against him in Bijnor and Jalaun districts over the past few years, is set to be attached under UP Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act following an order issued by Jalaun district magistrate (DM) Rajesh Kumar Pandey on Sunday night.

Bijnor DM Jasjit Kaur said on Monday that “the attachment process must be completed within 15 days in compliance with legal procedures.” Notably, Jalaun DM has appointed Bijnor’s Dhampur sub-divisional magistrate Smriti Mishra as “receiver of the properties”.

According to officials, assets purportedly to be attached include land spread across 10 plot numbers in Yakubpur village, along with the ‘Omar International Slaughterhouse’ built on designated plots.

The latest order follows a report submitted by police in Jalaun. Its findings claim that “Ahmed runs an organised criminal network with the support of gangster Gulzar, and members of the gang are active in several districts in UP”.

Ahmed, 55, who made headlines in 2022 following his alleged involvement in the illegal transportation of beef under the guise of fish food with forged documents, is a native of Yakubpur village in Syohara, Bijnor district. The meat trader is believed to have multiple properties, including slaughterhouses, in UP and Delhi-NCR -- some of which officials claim to be “illegal”. Ahmed has also been slapped with the UP Gangsters Act in the past.

In 2022, forensic tests conducted by a Mathura laboratory allegedly found the presence of beef in containers seized from a vehicle linked to the illegal transportation case.