Mumbai: Gangster's nephew held for murdering 78-year-old informant after 27 years

Mumbai, April 25 In a shocking case of revenge spanning nearly three decades, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old man and his accomplice for allegedly murdering a 78-year-old man believed to have been an informant in a 1999 police encounter.

According to officials, the main accused, Shadiq Jawar, is the nephew of former gangster Shadiq Kalia, who was killed in a police encounter in 1999.

Police allege that Jawar plotted the murder of Iqbal Ibrahim Celia, suspecting that he had informed the police about his uncle's whereabouts at the time.

Investigators claim that Celia had allegedly tipped off encounter specialist Daya Nayak, leading to Kalia's death.

Driven by this belief, Jawar is said to have planned the killing as an act of revenge.

The incident occurred on the evening of April 20 at Celia's residence in Mumbai's Nagpada.

Police said the attackers entered the house when other family members were not present and fatally assaulted the elderly man with sharp-edged weapons, inflicting more than 20 injuries. When Celia's wife and son returned home, they discovered his body lying in a pool of blood.

Following the murder, the accused fled the site.

However, CCTV footage helped investigators track their movements.

The Mumbai Crime Branch revealed that the duo travelled through Antop Hill and Vidyavihar to Kalyan before escaping to Nagpur.

Based on technical surveillance and evidence, police teams traced and arrested Jawar along with his 22-year-old accomplice, Naushad Mithani, from Nagpur.

During police questioning, the accused duo, Jawar and Mithani, allegedly confessed to their involvement in the crime.

Police records indicate that Kalia was once a street vendor in Mumbai's Kalachowki area before joining the underworld and becoming associated with the gang of Chhota Shakeel. He was killed in November 1999 during a police operation.

Officials said Jawar was only two-years-old at the time of his uncle's death but allegedly grew up harbouring a desire for revenge.

Further investigation into the case is underway.

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