Ansari’s aide booked under Gangster Act

Varanasi: Meraj Ahmed alias Bhai Meraj, the close associate of jailed mafia don and MLA Mukhtar Ansari and member of killed mafia don Munna Bajrangi, and his one accomplice were booked under

Gangster

Act by the district police on Saturday.

Meraj had surrendered before Jaitpura police on October 3 in a case of fraud to procure arms license and since then he is in jail.

SP City Vikas Chandra Tripathi said that Meraj and his one accomplice were booked in a case of Gangster Act on Saturday and now further action would be initiated against them accordingly.

Police had lodged an FIR against Meraj in September for committing fraud and conspiracy to get an arms license sanctioned in his name. During investigation of Jaitpura police it came to light that Meraj had not only attached police report with fake signatures of Jaitpura police station officer and a sub-inspector apart from submitting fake treasury challan. After registration of case Meraj had tried to seek interim bail to avoid his arrest but court rejected his plea. Tripathi said that due to increased pressure of police, Meraj reached Saraiyya police outpost on October 3 morning and started requesting its in-charge to arrest him by disclosing his identity. Meraj also requested the cops to stop initiating action of confiscating his property, said Tripathi. As per his criminal history Meraj is active in crime world since 2002, when first criminal case was registered against him. So far, 20 cases are lodged against him, have come to light, he added.

Meraj had come to limelight when he was booked under section 3 (4) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) with Mukhtar, Bajrangi and Iftekhar Ahmed for being a member of an organised crime syndicate by the Special Cell of Delhi Police in 2009 for threatening a South Delhi businessman to extort money. However, they were acquitted in 2016 due to lack of evidence against them. In November Varanasi Development Authority had also demolished illegally constructed garage, a store room and a three-storied building at Meraj’s flat in Ashok Vihar area.