3, including son, business partner, held in Mumbai for killing 69-yr-old man

The arrested accused have been identified as Hamid Ayyub Sayyed (41), son of the deceased; Shanu Mushtaq Chaudhary (40), a betel nut dealer; and Mohammad Khairul Islam Qadir Ali (27). Police said Hamid and Shanu had planned to eliminate the victim, Mohammad Ayub Sayyed, a month ago. Shanu, who lives in Navi Mumbai, then began searching for someone to execute the plan.

Shanu identified Khairul, whom he knew from earlier, and Khairul agreed to carry out the murder on the condition that his friend could assist him. “The amount was fixed at Rs 6.5 lakh, and an advance was paid a week ago,” said a police officer.

According to the police, Sayyed, who lived in Malad with his family, had a business in metals and owned factories in Vasai and Charkop.

Two assailants entered the Charkop office around 11:30 am on Sunday and remained there for more than half an hour. They stabbed Ayub multiple times in the abdomen, back, and hands with sharp weapons before fleeing the scene. “They carried weapons in a bag,” said the police officer.

During the investigation, it was found that the accused were captured on CCTV installed at the factory. The footage showed the killers exiting the factory empty-handed after the murder. Police later recovered the bag containing the sharp weapons, which had been hidden in a water tank on the premises.

Many people, including Shanu and Hamid, were called in for questioning. During separate interrogations, police found clues pointing to Shanu’s involvement. “During interrogation, Shanu confessed, and his associate was arrested from Govandi,” said a police officer involved in the probe. Another suspect is still wanted.

Nine teams from Zone 11 were formed to nab the murderers, and police managed to arrest them within two days, the officer added.