Two held for assault over property dispute

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: The JJ Marg police arrested two persons in c o n n e c t i o n with an attempt to kill five people, including two women over a property dispute, last week. The dispute was over the ownership of a room located at Handia Street in Nagpada where the victims reside.

Those arrested were Nadeem Haddi (20) and Moin Asif Shaikh (23). The police have recovered a dagger and a sword from them. The two accused have been sent to police custody till April 23. Now, the police are on the lookout for Aslam Sheru (52), a Tada convict, who along with six aides, attacked and injured five of his siblings with knives. Sheru, said the police, is a contract killer and was in jail for 16 years before he was released in November 2009.

Sheru, said the police, took to crime in his late 20s. Starting as a small-time extortionist, he graduated to bigger crimes like supari killing.

According to the police, Sheru was arrested in an extortion case and was taken to the Mazgaon court on February 14, 1990 when he managed to flee though he was handcuffed. Sheru was finally traced and arrested by the crime branch in 1994 from Bangalore. “During this time, he took supari and killed 11 persons. Sheru was also involved in the murder of one Amar Suvarna. Sheru along with his accomplices had shot down Suvarna near the sessions court and fled from the spot. The case was registered under Tada.’’

An officer said he made Bangalore his base and hired two youths to execute operations according to his instructions. “In the Suvarna murder case, the supari was given by drug peddler Iqbal Mirchi. Suvarna owed some money to Mirchi but he delayed the payment. This made Mirchi angry and he gave Suvarna’s supari,’’ said an officer.

Sheru used his long association with the D-gang and would take supari openly. He was involved in as many as 32 cases including 11 murders, two attempts to murder, extortion and robbery cases. “After his arrest in 1994, the police recovered a sten-gun and 180 live rounds, which were hidden in the base of his building. He was charged under the Arms Act as well,’’ said police sources.

He was convicted under Tada for 10 years and was also sentenced to two life terms in jail. Later, the high court merged the two life terms into one and he was released from jail in November last year for his ‘good behaviour’.

The Times of India, April 23, 2010