By: Rahul Adhikari
April 20 2023
Image of a body found in Kanpur falsely shared to claim Atiq Ahmed's aide killed in 'encounter'
Share Article:
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
Guddu Muslim, a known criminal from Uttar Pradesh, has been on the run since February 24, and has neither been apprehended nor 'encountered.'
Claim ID b6f61d7a
Context
Atiq Ahmed, a known Uttar Pradesh (UP) gangster-turned-member of parliament (MP), and his brother Ashraf were shot by three men while surrounded by police and speaking to reporters earlier this month. The incident was caught on camera, showing the handcuffed men collapsing even as cops were taking them for a routine medical examination. The shooting happened days after Ahmed's son Asad, was killed in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh police in Jhansi on April 13. Asad was arrested for lawyer Umesh Pal's murder on February 24 - he was a prime witness in the 2005 killing of Bahujan Samaj Party Member of Legislative Assembly Raju Pal.
Soon after Asad's death, online usernames began sharing a photo of a body on Koo and Twitter, claiming that it showed Atiq Ahmed's aide Guddu Muslim, who had been similarly 'encountered.' The caption of one such post read, "Guddu Muslim, another accused in the Umesh Pal Murder case, reportedly has been surrounded and killed by UP STF (Special Task Force), but will wait for official information." The narrative that Guddu Muslim was killed began after the UP Police Special Task Force (STF) encountered and killed 19-year-old Asad Ahmed and 32-year-old Ghulam Hussain, two of the shooters responsible for the assassination of Pal. Guddu Muslim is also one of the key suspects in the murder case.
However, the claim is entirely false.
In Fact
Guddu Muslim, an expert bomb-maker and a professional shooter, long wanted for several crimes in UP, has been on the run since Pal's murder. An India Today report dated April 17 said the police stated Guddu Muslim's last known location was Karnataka. According to a Hindustan Times article dated April 18, Inspector General of UP Police STF Amitabh Yash said, "Guddu Muslim is the most dreaded criminal and a former professional shooter. We are trying to nab him. We hope he is caught soon." The police statement confirms that the viral claim is false, as Guddu Muslim is still alive and evading arrest.
While looking through the tweets carrying this photo, we came across a comment by Kanpur-based photojournalist Anup Pandey. Pandey commented that the body in the viral image was found in the Hanuman Vihar area of Kanpur and was not Guddu Muslim. Logically Facts contacted Pandey, and he stated, "The body was discovered on April 12. The deceased was identified as Anil Kumar Pandey (48), son of the late Girish Pandey. The photo was shared on our WhatsApp group with the caption that the body was found in the Hanuman Vihar area."
We contacted Abhilash Mishra, Sub-Inspector at Kanpur's Hanumant Vihar Police Station. He refuted the claim and stated that the person in the picture was not Guddu Muslim. Mishra provided us with the FIR relating to the death, which confirmed that it showed the body of a 48-year-old named Anil Kumar Pandey. The family members identified the body after they were informed, the FIR stated.
Newschecker had also debunked this claim earlier.
The Verdict
An image of a body found in Kanpur is being shared with a false narrative, claiming that Atiq Ahmed's henchman Guddu Muslim was killed in an encounter. Guddu is still alive and evading arrest, as stated by cops. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.