On the run for 22 years, SIMI operative Mohammed Hanif held

Samad Hoque

New Delhi, February 25

In a significant breakthrough, the Delhi Police on Sunday apprehended one of the most elusive members of the banned organisation Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), Mohammed Hanif, also known as Hanif Sheikh, alias Haneef Hudai.

Hanif had been on the run for 22 years in connection with a case of sedition and unlawful activities, registered at the Police Station, New Friends Colony, Delhi, in 2001. Hanif, aged 47, had been declared a proclaimed offender by a Delhi court in 2002.

Deputy Commissioner Special Cell Alok Kumar said, “After gathering crucial information from various parts of the country, especially Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the team deployed informers and sources to track down Hanif Sheikh. Their painstaking efforts led them to Bhusawal, Maharashtra, where Hanif had assumed a new identity and was working as a teacher in an Urdu School.”

On February 22, a raiding party was formed and a trap was laid near Asha Tower, Khadka Road, Bhusawal. Despite Hanif’s attempt to evade arrest, swift action of the team resulted in his apprehension, although not before a brief scuffle.

“Hanif Sheikh’s involvement with SIMI dates back to 1997, when he joined the organisation and quickly rose through the ranks. He played a pivotal role in radicalising Muslim youths and propagating hardcore Islamic ideology. His association with prominent SIMI members, including Safdar Hussain Nagori and Abdus Shubhan Qureshi, further underscores the gravity of his involvement in anti-national activities,” the DCP said. Prior to his arrest, Hanif Sheikh had a history of criminal activities, including cases registered in Maharashtra under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.