Mumbai: In a decades-old case, the Wadala Police have arrested a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai communal riots after 32 years. The accused, 54-year-old Arif Ali Hasmullah Khan, was apprehended from the Antop Hill area of Mumbai on July 5.
Khan had been wanted on charges including attempted murder and unlawful assembly, linked to the violent riots that erupted in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992. The riots claimed hundreds of lives and caused widespread destruction across the city.
Initially arrested and later released on bail, Khan subsequently failed to appear in court, leading to a non-bailable warrant being issued against him. Despite repeated attempts over the years, police were unable to trace him at his listed address.
Recently, investigators made a breakthrough by analysing the phone records of Khan’s relatives, which led them to valuable leads about his whereabouts. A team visited one of his relative’s villages and gathered critical information.
Acting on these clues, Wadala Police laid a trap in the Antop Hill locality and successfully apprehended Khan. He had been living discreetly in Mumbai to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Following his arrest, Khan was produced before the court and remanded to police custody. Investigators are now probing his movements during his years on the run and trying to identify individuals who may have aided him.
