A 42-year-old man from Malvani, Malad, who had been missing for the past 14 days, was brutally murdered by four of his acquaintances in a chilling case that has shocked the city. The accused not only killed Faheem Nazir Sayyed alias Faheem Machmach but also disposed of his body in a drain to destroy evidence. The body is yet to be recovered.
The Malvani and Kandivali police have launched a search operation in the Malad area to trace the remains. Meanwhile, all four accused have been arrested by the Byculla Police even before the official registration of a murder case. They have since been handed over to the Malvani police for further investigation.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Saif Fayaz Shaikh, Azeem Imran Khan, Sameer Qureshi, and Suraj Arun Thakur. A case is being registered under charges of criminal conspiracy, murder, and destruction of evidence as per the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Faheem, a resident of Ambujwadi in Malvani, lived with his wife Rida. He was reportedly addicted to drugs and had gone missing on April 17. When he failed to return home, his wife and relatives searched for him extensively but to no avail. On April 21, after five days, his wife lodged a missing complaint at the Malvani police station.
While the police were investigating the disappearance, the Byculla police received a tip-off that Faheem had been murdered by four acquaintances and his body had been dumped in a nearby drain. Based on this information, a team led by Senior Inspector Chimaji Adhav detained the suspects for questioning.
During interrogation, Mohammad Saif confessed that Faheem had allegedly harassed his sister. Seeking revenge, Saif, along with the other three, hatched a plan to kill him. On April 16, they called Faheem to one of their houses, where they severely beat him using kicks, belts, and a hammer. One of the accused even filmed the incident on his phone.
After the murder, the group packed Faheem’s body into a sack and transported it in an autorickshaw. The body was then dumped into a drain in Malad (West) during the night, in an attempt to eliminate all evidence. Following the crime, the four moved about as if nothing had happened. However, one of them later tipped off the police, leading to their immediate arrest.
Despite intensive search operations, Faheem’s body has not yet been recovered. Officials revealed that the waste from the drain was recently transported to a dumping ground in Vasai, where search efforts are now being extended.
The arrested men will be produced in court soon, and further investigation is underway.