Bareilly cleric arrested for ‘helping’ Tiwari’s killers

Delhi-based lawyer also taken into custody from Bareilly for providing logistic support to the alleged killers

LUCKNOW A Bareilly cleric Maulana Kaifi Ali, who was detained for questioning on October 21, was arrested on Thursday for allegedly helping the two killers of Hindu Samaj Party (HSP) leader Kamlesh Tiwari, said senior state police officials.

Tiwari was murdered at his Khurshed Bagh office-cum-residence in Lucknow on October 18.

A Delhi-based lawyer Mohd Naved Raza Siddiqui was also taken into custody from Bareilly for allegedly providing logistic support to the two killers. He allegedly helped the duo sneak into Nepal through Lakhimpur Kheri’s Gauri Fanta on India-Nepal border. He drove them from Bareilly and dropped them a few metres before the border on October 19, said senior police officials.

Director general of police (DGP) OP Singh said Maulana Kaifi Ali had been arrested for helping the two alleged killers, Ashfaq Sheikh Hussain and

Moinuddin Khurshid Pathan, who were arrested by the Gujarat ATS on October 22.

He stated that lawyer Naved Raza Siddiqui was taken into custody as he was in regular touch with the killers and allegedly helped them.

The DGP said Kaifi Ali was made accused and arrested after it was confirmed by the two killers that they visited the former’s place in Bareilly after executing Tiwari’s killing.

Ali allegedly allowed them a night stay and helped them get treatment for their injuries caused while attacking Tiwari, he added.

The alleged killers were brought to Lucknow from Gujarat on Wednesday midnight.

Ashfaq had injured himself in the right hand with the knife when Tiwari resisted while being stabbed and Moinuddin injured himself in his right hand using a pistol.

Inspector general (IG) of police (Lucknow Range) SK Bhagat, who is heading the three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case, said Kaifi along with the two killers were produced before the court on Thursday.

He said the court granted police custody remand of the two killers for two days, during which they will be interrogated further in connection with Tiwari’s killing and about the involvement of other people in the case.

Kaifi was sent to judicial custody. The alleged killers’ police custody remand will start from Friday morning.

In Kamlesh Tiwari’s killing, the state police had so far arrested seven people from Gujarat, Maharahstra and Uttar Pradesh in the past six days while more arrests were likely in the case.

On October 19, three alleged conspirators, Maulana Mohsin Sheikh, Moinuddin’s brother Rashid Pathan and Faizan Sheikh, were arrested from Surat by Gujarat Anti Terror Squad (ATS).

Another key accused Sayyed Asim Ali, who radicalised the two killers and allegedly prepared them for killing Tiwari, was arrested from Nagpur by Maharashtra ATS on October 20.

Maulana Kaifi Ali was also detained by the UP police on October 20 for questioning but was arrested on October 23.

The two killers, Ashfaq Sheikh Hussain and Moinuddin Khurshid Pathan, were claimed to have been arrested by Gujarat ATS from Gujarat-Rajasthan border on October 22.

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