Prayagraj, April 19: The three persons accused of killing gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Mohammad Ashraf were sent to police custody for four days by the court of chief judicial magistrate here on Wednesday.

Lovelesh Tiwari, Mohit and Arun Kumar Maurya were produced in the court amid tight security on Wednesday morning as the police sought a seven-day remand. Passing the order later, the court sent them to police custody for four days -- from 2 pm on Wednesday till 5 pm on April 23, district government advocate Gulab Chandra Agrahari said. Atiq Ahmed-Ashraf Ahmed Killings: All Three Shooters Produced in Prayagraj Court, UP Police Seek 7-Day Custody.

Atiq Ahmad (60) and his brother Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists in the middle of a media interaction on Saturday night while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college in Prayagraj for a checkup.

An FIR under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and under the Arms Act was registered against the three alleged assailants of Atiq and Ashraf at Shahganj police station. Atiq Ahmed-Ashraf Ahmed Killings: Three Shooters to Be Presented Before Prayagraj Court Today, UP Police to Seek Remand.

On Sunday, these three accused were produced before the remand magistrate who sent them to judicial custody for 14 days. They were initially lodged in Naini jail but were shifted to Pratapgarh prison citing security reasons.