Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Satara police have arrested two key accomplices in the gang murder of Syed Imran Syed Shafik (38), less than nine hours after the crime. Saddam Hussain Moinoddin (34), brother of main suspect Syed Mujib Don, and Sheikh Irfan Sheikh Suleman were intercepted at Jhalta Fata while attempting to leave the city in a car. Police recovered the knife and sword used in the murder from their vehicle.
The victim was attacked late Wednesday night at 8:30 pm under the railway overbridge near Silk Mill Colony in front of his children. While some were enjoying Garba festivities, five to six assailants dragged his children out of the rickshaw and attacked Imran with sharp weapons. His fingers and right wrist were severed before the attackers struck his head and neck, killing him mercilessly.
The murder stems from longstanding disputes between the victim and Syed Mujib Don from Padegaon. On 31 May, both gangs had clashed violently, resulting in a previous murder case against Mujib, Syed Moinaoddin, Syed Saddam, and five others. According to Imran’s brother, Syed Salman Syed Shafik, Wednesday’s attack was an act of revenge. Police have lodged cases against Syed Saddam Moinoddin, Syed Shadab Moinoddin, Syed Mujib Moinoddin, Syed Mosin Moinoddin, and Shahrukh Qureshi. Immediately after the murder, teams led by police inspector Krishna Shinde, assistant police inspector Shailesh Deshmukh, Sub-Inspector Govind Eklivale, along with officers Digambar Rathod, Mahesh Gole, and Deepak Shinde, pursued the suspects toward Padegaon and Bhavsingpura. The main suspect, Syed Mujib Don, is a serious criminal with prior arrests. In 2017, he was detained in connection with a pistol-selling racket. Around ten years ago, a prominent lawyer had orchestrated a fake shooting and hired Mujib and others, for which he was arrested at the time. Earlier in May, Mujib had a dispute with the victim over a gas business issue.
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Police have released photos of the arrested suspects.