Updated on: 19 APRIL 2023 03:05 PM IST | Mumbai
S S NADAR | news@debotimes.in

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51-year-old Shaista Parveen, the wife of mafia politician Atiq Ahmad who was shot dead in police custody, is now on the most-wanted list of the UP Police. A reward of ?50,000 has been announced for any information about the empress of Atiq's crime world. In a gap of only two days, Shaista lost her son Asad and husband Atiq. Two days after Asad was killed in a police encounter, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf was shot dead in Prayagraj. There were speculations that Shaista Parveen will surrender at Atiq's last rites, but she is absconding.

Who is Shaista Praveen? How did she become the czarina of Atiq's gang?
1. Shaista's father was in the police and before marrying Atiq in 1996, Shaista's world was completely different. She studied till Class 12 and had no association with any illegal activities.

2. In Shaista's name, there are four cases registered in Prayagraj since 2009 -- three cheating and one murder. The first three cases filed at Colonelganj police station date back to 2009 and were registered under different sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security or will), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged document) besides section 30 (contravention of license or rule) of the Arms Act. The murder case is of Umesh Pal.

3. Shaista is one of the prime accused in the Umesh Pal murder case.

4. In 2021, Shaista joined AIMIM. In January 2023, she joined the BSP. When Shaista joined the BSP, she said, "My husband (Atiq) could not learn discipline due to friendship with SP supremo (former). My husband always liked BSP and even helped top BSP leaders earlier." Mayawati, however, decided not to field Shaista in the mayoral election.

5. Shaista was part of the plan and execution of Umesh Pal's murder, reports said.

6. When Atiq Ahmad was in jail, Shaista took an active role in running his syndicate.

7. Shaista Parveen is known as the godmother in the gang.

8. Atiq's relative Mohammad Jishan said Atiq once sent his son Ali accompanied by 25 shooters to Jishan asking him to transfer his land in Shaista's name and demanding ?5 crores.

Shaista's letter to Yogi
A purported letter written by Shaista Parveen to chief minister Yogi Adityanath has surfaced after Atiq's death. In the letter, she wrote that Atiq and Ashraf are being falsely implicated in the Umesh Pal murder case. Shaista alleged that Minister Nand Gopal Gupta was the key conspirator of Umesh Pal's murder. The letter was written on February 27.

"If you (CM Adityanath) don't intervene, my husband, brother-in-law, and sons would be killed," she wrote in the letter.

As cops are now hunting Shaista, reports said they may find it difficult as Shaista might be observing the ritual of iddhah following her husband's death when nobody is allowed to meet her.