In a major breakthrough, three main accused in the January 2026 murder of Atiq Ahmed Sheikh, a resident of Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district, were arrested in Gujarat's Surat. The accused had allegedly fled to evade the state police and were working as private security guards at a site for a Metro rail project. The accused — Akash Singh alias Saurabh Singh Rajput, Satyam Singh Rajput, and Ajit Singh Rajput — were being brought to Rewa on a transit remand, even as two other accused remained absconding.
Details of the Incident
In an incident that stoked tension in Rewa earlier this year, Atiq was brutally assaulted and left critically injured. Police said the attack took place near Rambagh crossing in Panawar police station area on January 27, when Atiq and his companions were allegedly stopped on the road and assaulted with sticks by the accused and their associates. He was initially rushed to a local hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, roughly about an hour's drive from the Rambagh crossing in Madhya Pradesh's Panawar police station area. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to a hospital in Lucknow where he died during treatment.
Investigation and Arrests
According to police, an FIR was registered on January 28 while Atiq was undergoing treatment in Prayagraj. However, the case was later converted into one of murder after his death. Thereafter, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was put together by the Rewa Superintendent of Police to probe the case.
Panawar police station in-charge Praveen Upadyay told Times of India, "About 10 days before the incident, a person had a dispute with Atiq over some petty issue. The man then brought the accused over to the scene to argue in his support. At this point, Atiq got into an altercation with the accused but the matter was temporarily defused. However, the accused nursed a grudge against Atiq and hatched a plan to bump him off. They attacked him ten days later, leaving him critically injured. He later succumbed during treatment in Lucknow."
Upadyay added, "Three of the accused have been arrested in Surat and are being brought here amid the ongoing probe."
Ongoing Search for Remaining Accused
Investigating officers said searches were ongoing to trace and nab the remaining accused, while the involvement of more people were also being looked into. The police are continuing their efforts to ensure all those responsible for the crime are brought to justice.
