Using just an alias as a clue, Delhi Police’s Southern Range Special Cell traced Hanif Sheikh, a wanted SIMI terrorist who had been absconding for the last 22 years.
A special cell of the Delhi Police arrested Hanif Sheikh (47), an elusive member of the banned organisation Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), on February 22. The only clue police had to arrest him was an alias he used while he was editor of a magazine under SIMI.
Hanif Sheikh, described as the most notorious and wanted SIMI terrorist by the Delhi Police, also goes by the names of Mohd Hanif and Haneef Hudai. He had been absconding for 22 years and was declared a proclaimed offender in 2002.
A case was filed against him in 2001 at the New Friends Colony Police Station in Delhi on sedition charges and offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
According to the police, Hanif Sheikh was the editor of ‘Islamic Movement’, a magazine under SIMI and was involved in inducting more members to the banned organisation. His identity could not be established by the police and the only clue they had was the name ‘Haneef Hudai’ which was printed on the magazine.
The Delhi Police’s Southern Range Special Cell had been trying to arrest Hanif Sheikh for four years.
HOW POLICE TRACED HANIF SHEIKH
As per the police, Hanif Sheikh played an important role in attending meetings of SIMI in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala. However, whenever police cracked down on the banned organisation’s activities, Hanif Sheikh would slip away from their hands.
To arrest Sheikh, the Delhi Police’s Southern Range Special Cell started to collect information about him from different states. The team deployed their informants in as many as seven states to track Sheikh and his associates.
An informant then told the police that Sheikh had changed his identity and was working at an Urdu school in Maharashtra’s Bhusawal.
Accordingly, a team was set up to arrest Sheikh from the area. On February 22, police identified a suspicious man who was going from Mohmadin Nagar to Khadka Road as Hanif Sheikh. A scuffle between the two sides ensued after police cornered Sheikh.
“Around 2.50 pm on February 22, a person travelling from Mohmadin Nagar to Khadka Road was identified as Hanif. As members of the team began to corner him, Hanif attempted to escape but was arrested after a scuffle,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
However, police managed to arrest the absconding terrorist after more than two decades.
WHO IS HANIF SHEIKH?
Hanif Sheikh joined SIMI in 1997 and became highly radicalised after interacting with its members. He then started inducting other young Muslims into the organisation.
In 2001, Sahid Badar, then President of SIMI, appointed Hanif Sheikh as the editor of the Urdu edition of ‘Islamic Movement’. Sheikh wrote several provocative articles on Muslims in India while he was the editor of the magazine.