New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) Two brothers, both convicted to life imprisonment in a 1996 Delhi murder case and absconding for nearly a decade, have been arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch in separate operations conducted in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. One of the accused, Firasat Ali, was also wanted in a sensational 2006 Mumbai contract killing case involving the brutal murder and dismemberment of a man.

According to the Delhi Police Crime Branch, the arrests were made by a team of the Anti-Robbery and Snatching Cell (ARSC) under the supervision of ACP Sanjay Kumar Nagpal. Inspector Robin Tyagi led the operations that culminated in the arrest of Firasat Ali, 56, from Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, and his younger brother Shah Nawaz Ali, 51, from Godda, Jharkhand.

Police said both brothers had been convicted in a 1996 murder case registered at Rajouri Garden Police Station. They were sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court in 2000 but were granted bail while their appeal was pending before the Delhi High Court. In 2016, the High Court upheld their conviction and directed them to surrender before jail authorities to serve the remainder of their sentence. However, both failed to surrender and remained on the run.

Investigators said Firasat Ali was later arrested by the Mumbai Police in 2018 in connection with a contract killing case dating back to 2006. After being granted bail in that case and later released on furlough in the Delhi murder case in 2023, he again absconded. Shah Nawaz had remained untraceable since 2016 after failing to surrender before prison authorities.

The Delhi murder case dates back to September 27, 1996, when an altercation reportedly broke out in an old clothes market near Ghore Wala Mandir in Raghubir Nagar over the purchase of an old saree. According to police, Shah Nawaz threatened the complainant’s brother during the dispute and later returned with his brothers Firasat Ali and Arshad Ali, along with an associate, Jahangir Khan.

The accused allegedly forced their way into the complainant’s residence armed with knives and attacked the family members. Police said Firasat Ali and Shah Nawaz repeatedly stabbed Ishtiaq Ahmed, also known as Pappu, on the neck and chest, resulting in his death. Two other family members, Riyasat alias Bhura and Dabbu, also sustained injuries during the attack.

Following investigation, all four accused were arrested, and in May 2000, Firasat Ali and Shah Nawaz were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Court at Tis Hazari.

Police also highlighted Firasat Ali’s alleged involvement in a high-profile contract killing in Mumbai in 2006. On May 14 that year, an unidentified human torso wrapped in a plastic bag was found near Mastan Talao in Bhendi Bazaar. The victim’s head and limbs had been severed and disposed of separately to conceal his identity.

The case remained unsolved for nearly 12 years until Mumbai Police received fresh intelligence in 2018 identifying the deceased as Kisan Kharva. The investigation led to the arrest of the victim’s wife, Bansiben Kharva, along with Firasat Ali and another accused, Irshad Ali.

During interrogation, police alleged that Kisan Kharva was addicted to alcohol and frequently assaulted his wife while suspecting her character. Frustrated by the abuse, Bansiben allegedly hired Firasat Ali and Irshad Ali to kill her husband for Rs 2 lakh.

Police said Firasat Ali allegedly murdered Kisan Kharva, dismembered the body by severing the head and limbs, and disposed of the body parts at different locations to prevent identification. He was granted bail by the Bombay High Court in January 2021 but later absconded during the trial and was declared a proclaimed offender.

According to the Crime Branch, the latest arrests followed sustained surveillance on fugitives involved in heinous crimes. Acting on specific intelligence received by Head Constable Mintu, investigators learned that Firasat Ali was hiding in Moradabad while Shah Nawaz was living under a false identity in Godda.

To ensure neither suspect alerted the other, the Crime Branch formed two separate raiding teams and conducted simultaneous operations on July 4. The coordinated raids resulted in the successful arrest of both brothers from their respective hideouts.

During interrogation, Firasat Ali told investigators that he had frequently changed locations across Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana while earning a livelihood as a clothes merchant to evade arrest. Shah Nawaz similarly disclosed that he had remained hidden in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand, also working as a clothes trader while constantly changing his whereabouts.

Police said both brothers belong to a family traditionally engaged in the business of trading old clothes across different parts of the country. Following their arrest, both accused have been lodged in Tihar Jail. The Mumbai Police has also been informed about Firasat Ali’s arrest, as he remains wanted in the Maharashtra contract killing case.

–IANS

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