Tomorrow, Ahmed must appear before a court in Prayagraj to hear the outcome of the kidnapping case in which he is charged. As the convoy bringing gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed from Gujarat approaches Uttar Pradesh, officials at a Prayagraj prison are busy completing preparations to lodge the high-profile inmate.A cell in special barracks, CCTV surveillance and tight security -- both inside and outside the prison -- are being put in place to keep an eye on Ahmed round the clock. Ahmed is to be produced before a Prayagraj court tomorrow for the ruling in a kidnapping case in which he is an accused. The former MP, an accused in more than 100 criminal cases, has alleged that Uttar Pradesh police planned to kill him in an encounter and that the court appearance was a false pretext. Speaking to reporters yesterday, the former Samajwadi Party leader said, "I know their programme... They want to murder me)." Ahmed was moved to the Gujarat jail on the directions of the Supreme Court after he was accused of engineering the kidnapping of a real estate businessman while in jail. He has been lodged in the Sabarmati central jail since June 2019. His name hit headlines again this February after a key witness in BSP MLA Raju Pal's murder, in which Ahmed is an accused, was shot dead outside his Prayagraj home. The murder of Umesh Pal, shocking videos of which had gone viral, had led to a wave of criticism against the Yogi Adityanath government over the state's law and order situation. Ahmed has been named the main accused in the killing of Pal and his two security personnel. Ahmed's family members have said they are ready to accept any judgment in the kidnapping case, but are only worried about his safety. "We are ready to accept all the judgement. We are worried about his (Atiq Ahmed's) safety. We are following him from Rajasthan," Ayesha Noori, his sister
