More than two years after the killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, authorities in Prayagraj have intensified action against properties allegedly linked to his IS-227 gang, reclaiming 38 bighas of land valued at over ₹100 crore from what officials described as illegal occupation by his associates.
According to district officials, the reclaimed land had allegedly been encroached upon by aides of Ahmed, who were accused of manipulating revenue records to transfer ownership in their favour. Acting under the direction of District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma, an investigation led by SDM Sadar Abhishek Kumar Singh resulted in administrative proceedings that cancelled the names of the recorded tenure holders and restored ownership of the land to the gram sabha. Authorities subsequently cleared the entire area of encroachments.
The recovered land comprises 14 plots located in Nasirpur Silna village under the Airport police station jurisdiction. Officials said the parcels had been registered in the names of Amanullah, Iqbal Ahmed, Ghulam Gaus, Ishtiyaq Ahmed, and Mohammad Bitaniya, though records showed that the property originally belonged to the village gram sabha.
Following the recovery, the administration has begun reallocating portions of the land for public use. Approximately 9 bighas near Airport Chauraha, estimated to be worth around ₹25 crore, have been earmarked for government infrastructure projects. Plans include the construction of a women’s hostel as well as office buildings for the Enforcement Directorate and the Goods and Services Tax department, with proposals already prepared for implementation.
Officials added that additional proposals are being developed to allocate the remaining land parcels to five other government departments for the establishment of administrative facilities. The Additional District Magistrate (Nazul) and the Chief Revenue Officer stated that more government offices are expected to be built on properties reclaimed during the ongoing crackdown on assets allegedly connected to the IS-227 gang, as authorities continue efforts to dismantle networks associated with Ahmed’s former criminal operations.
