Mumbai: The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested Imran Sabir Shaikh, who had been on the run for 10 years, for the murder of Riaz Hussain Abdul Qureshi in Nagpada. Shaikh, who had been evading arrest since 2015, was nabbed in Mehsana, Gujarat, where he had been living under an assumed identity.
On April 15, 2015, 44-year-old Riaz Qureshi was brutally murdered in the Nagpada area. He was attacked with a sharp weapon, and his throat was slit. Following the incident, Nagpada Police registered an FIR under Sections 302, 397, and 120(b) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with Sections 37(1) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
During the investigation, two of Shaikh’s accomplices, Mohammad Wasim Akram Shaikh and Sajid Ali Ashiq Ali Chaudhary, were arrested. However, Imran Shaikh managed to escape and had been absconding ever since. While pursuing the fugitive, the Crime Branch received a tip-off about Shaikh’s whereabouts. Through technical surveillance, they discovered that he was living under a fake name in Mehsana, Gujarat. Upon confirming his location, the AEC team, with approval from their senior officers, launched a raid and apprehended Shaikh.
During the interrogation, it was revealed that Shaikh had been living under the alias Mohammad Raheel Mohammad Sabir Shaikh. The Crime Branch team successfully brought him back to Mumbai and handed him over to the Nagpada Police Station for further legal proceedings. The Crime Branch is now investigating whether Shaikh was involved in any other criminal activities during his time on the run. Further inquiries are underway.
In connection with Qureshi’s murder, the police had earlier arrested Mohammad Wasim Akram Shaikh and Sajid Ali Ashiq Ali Chaudhary, both of whom were charged with the crime. However, Imran Shaikh, the prime accused, managed to escape and remained absconding until his recent arrest.
