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Eight years ago, business partner killed Delhi BSP leader, wife and children — lands in police net again
In 2017, Saheed Khan was presented with an opportunity after Hassan was arrested for a rape case earlier that year and was serving his sentence in Tihar Jail.
During questioning, police said Khan admitted that he had been hiding in areas around Burari to evade the police. (Source: File/ Representation)
All Saheed Khan wanted was everything his business partner owned.
Khan had been partners with Chaudhary Munawwar Hassan, a local BSP leader in Burari, for years and knew that Hassan owned properties worth Rs 5-6 crore in the area. Khan coveted those properties but knew that Hassan’s muscle and power would never let him come close.
In 2017, Khan was presented with an opportunity after Hassan was arrested for a rape case earlier that year and was serving his sentence in Tihar Jail.
He used the time to win the trust of Hassan’s family. When Hassan’s wife, Ishrat, told Khan that she urgently needed to visit family in Meerut, Khan decided to act. He hired two contract killers.
On April 20, 2017, Ishrat (40) and her two daughters, Arju (19) and Arshi (15), were shot and killed. Their bodies would later be discovered by the police, buried in a field near Meerut by the side of the highway.
Two days later, Khan allegedly strangled Hassan’s sons, Aaqib (20) and Shakib (16), and buried their bodies in one of Hassan’s properties in Burari.
Back at the jail, Hassan grew suspicious when his family stopped visiting him. When he asked Khan, he would tell him that his family had not been seen for many days.
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Worried, Hassan applied for bail to find his family. Khan accompanied Hassan on May 18, 2017, to the Burari police station to help him file a missing persons complaint. Two days later, Hassan was found dead, with a gunshot wound, in the bathroom of his Burari residence.
Police said it was Khan who made the call, informing them of the leader’s death.
As they began investigating the murder, police said Khan kept changing his statements. When they questioned him further, police said he admitted to orchestrating the killings with the help of contract killers — Feroz and Zulfiqar. He and his accomplices were arrested and sent to Tihar Jail.
In September last year, Khan, who was still an undertrial prisoner — was granted parole on personal grounds, with a directive to return to custody in October. However, he absconded, prompting the issuance of non-bailable warrants, said police.
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“As a team of the Special Staff was earlier involved in uncovering the conspiracy behind the brutal murders committed in 2017, former investigating officers were contacted and relevant details collected. Technical surveillance was also mounted, and the residences of the accused and his associates were identified. Acting upon technical investigation and manual intelligence, it was revealed that Khan would be visiting his residence to collect some money. Subsequently, a trap was laid near his residence, and he was successfully apprehended on Monday,” said DCP (North) Raja Banthia.
During questioning, police said Khan admitted that he had been hiding in areas around Burari to evade the police. He has now been handed over to the Burari police station, said police.
Khan had been booked for two cases from 2017 under IPC sections 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 363 (kidnapping), 365 (abduction) and 34 (common intention) along with sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act.
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