PRAYAGRAJ: Twenty-eight vehicles allegedly following a police convoy carrying gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed‘s son Umar Ahmed were booked on Sunday for allegedly breaking through a toll barrier and passing the Nawabganj toll plaza without paying the required fee, police said.The vehicles were identified through their registration numbers and CCTV footage after around 25 to 30 private vehicles allegedly followed the police vehicles transporting Umar to Prayagraj for his younger brother Aban Ahmed’s funeral on Saturday.The FIR was registered around 1.30 pm on the complaint of toll plaza assistant manager Jai Prakash Yadav.Police said efforts were underway to identify the occupants of the vehicles and recover the unpaid toll amount.According to the complaint, the incident took place around 3.50 pm on Saturday when government vehicles transporting Umar passed through toll booth number 3.Around 25 to 30 private vehicles, allegedly belonging to his supporters, then followed the convoy.The drivers allegedly broke the boom barrier and sped through the toll plaza without paying the required fee, the complaint stated.The toll management has claimed financial loss due to the vehicles passing without payment.Police are examining CCTV footage and vehicle registration numbers to establish the identities of those involved, officials said.The case was registered a day after Umar and his elder brother Ali were brought to Prayagraj in police custody to attend the funeral of their younger brother Aban, 21.Aban was buried at the Kasari-Masari graveyard on Saturday evening amid heavy security.On Friday, the Allahabad High Court granted conditional parole to Umar, who is lodged in Lucknow jail, and Ali, lodged in Jhansi jail, to attend their younger brother’s funeral.Aban and his friend Sonu, 25, died in a road accident in Jhansi district on Thursday.Aban was travelling with associates to visit his brother in jail when their speeding SUV hit a divider and overturned on the Jhansi-Kanpur National Highway.Aban was buried near the grave of his father, Atiq Ahmed. The graves of Atiq’s brother Ashraf and son Asad are also located at the same cemetery.(With PTI inputs)
