Over two years following the deaths of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf, the Prayagraj district administration is engaged in an ongoing crackdown against the IS-227 gang. Recently, officials announced the recovery of 38 bighas of land, valued at over Rs 100 crore, which was allegedly being occupied illegally by associates of Atiq Ahmed. The administration initiated this operation to reclaim the land that had been unjustly occupied and manipulated into revenue records.
District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma directed the investigation, which was carried out by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sadar Abhishek Kumar Singh. Following the investigation, the SDM’s court annulled the names of previous tenure holders on the property, restoring the land to the local gram sabha. The administration confirmed that all encroachments on the land were removed during this process.
The reclaimed 38 bighas of land spread over 14 plots is located in Nasirpur Silna village, which falls under the Airport police station jurisdiction. The recorded names of those involved in the illegal occupation included Amanullah, Iqbal Ahmed, Ghulam Gaus, Ishtiyaq Ahmed, and Mohammad Bitaniya. All land reclaimed was originally owned by the gram sabha, highlighting the extent of illegal activities associated with the gang.
From the total reclaimed area, the administration has earmarked nine bighas, with an estimated worth of around Rs 25 crore, for four government departments. This allocation is part of a plan to establish various governmental facilities, including a women’s hostel and offices for the Enforcement Directorate and the Goods and Services Tax department. Preparation for the construction of these facilities is already underway.
Additionally, authorities are formulating proposals to assign portions of the remaining land in Nasirpur Silna village to five other government departments for their operational buildings. The Additional District Magistrate (Nazul) along with the Chief Revenue Officer confirmed that more government offices will be developed on other segments of the reclaimed land as the administration intensifies its efforts against properties linked to the IS-227 gang.
