Suspect in multiple murders killed in police encounter in Meerut

With a bounty of ₹50,000 on his head, Naeem had been wanted for 25 years in connection with a double murder case in Mumbai and for a murder case in Delhi for 19 years

LUCKNOW: A suspect in several murder cases, including the most recent one on January 9, was shot dead early Saturday morning in a police encounter in Meerut, according to a top UP police officer on Saturday.

On January 9, five hacked bodies were found in their one-room rented house in Sohail Garden, Meerut (PTI)

Naeem was suspected of being behind the murder of his stepbrother, Mohd Moin, and his family — wife Aasma and their three daughters, Afsha (8), Aziza (4), and Adiba (1) on January 9 in Meerut.

With a bounty of ₹50,000 on his head, Naeem had been wanted for 25 years in connection with a double murder case in Mumbai and for a murder case in Delhi for 19 years, said UP director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar.

The DGP further said that Naeem was tracked down after a 15-day chase. “The Meerut police encountered the suspect near Samar Garden, under Madina Colony, when he visited some family members. The suspect opened fire on the police team as they attempted to arrest him. Naeem was injured in the police’s retaliatory fire and was declared dead by doctors after being taken to a local hospital,” he said.

Meerut zone additional director general Dhruv Kant Thakur said on January 9, five hacked bodies were found in their one-room rented house in Sohail Garden, under the Lisarigate police station in Meerut. Naeem, whose last known location was with the family, went missing after the incident. He, along with his adopted son Salman, is suspected to have been involved in the murders. The duo allegedly hacked the five to death after lacing their food with a sedative on the night of January 8-9.”

Two Azamgarh traders, Shadab and Asad, were murdered in Mumbai over a dispute over a plot in Mumbra on January 22, 2006. “He had buried the bodies of the two traders on the same plot after committing the crime. Similarly, he and his real brother Tasleem were accused in the murder of another relative in Delhi in 2000,” said the police officer.

“Naeem stayed under the identity of Hussain at his Malegaon hideout in Mumbai, was known as Zameel at another hideout in the Ahmednagar locality of Malad, Mumbai, and as Guddu in Delhi,” he added.

Police found Naeem was married to three women, and the families lived in three different places in Mumbai and Delhi. He did not contact them after committing the murders.