New Delhi, Sep 27 : The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested a notorious criminal, who had escaped from the custody Uttar Pradesh Police three months ago while he was brought to AIIMS in the national capital for the treatment, an official said, adding that with his arrest they have averted a killing of a person in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar.
The accused, identified as Mohd. Shahnawaz (28), was arrested along with his associate Javed (23).
The official said that Shahnawaz has been previously involved in seven criminal cases, including robbery, gangster act, arms act, assault, escape from police custody, theft, and cheating, among others, in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
According to police, there was information about the movement of absconder Shahnawaz in the South Delhi area, mainly in Saket.
“On Tuesday, specific input was received that Shahnawaz and his associate Javed would come near Saket metro station between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. to meet one of their associates. Subsequently, a trap was laid around Saket metro station and the duo was apprehended,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) H.G.S. Dhaliwal.
One semi-automatic of .32 bore pistol with four live cartridges and one single-shot pistol of .12 bore with two bullets were recovered from Shahnawaz and Javed respectively.
The official further said that Shahnawaz was absconding after escaping from the custody of Uttar Pradesh Police during his visit to AIIMS Delhi on June 14, when he was brought there by a team of Moradabad police from Meerut Medical College, for better treatment.
“In view of his tendency to commit crime in the area regularly, gangster act was slapped on him in 2022 by the Uttar Pradesh Police,” he said.
During interrogation, Shahnawaz disclosed that his mother had separated from his father and is now living with another man, and he was planning to kill that person. “The accused further disclosed that he met a criminal, namely Mota, in Moradabad jail in 2022, and at his instance, he conspired to extort Rs. one crore from a businessman in Uttar Pradesh. He had also planned to kill the target in case he refuses to pay the money. He had also procured firearms to execute the plan,” the Special CP added.
