November 2020 case: Fourth accused in MNS leader’s murder case held, police yet to clarify on motive

The UP STF that helped the Thane police nab two shooters had earlier mentioned that a leader of NCP Ajit Pawar faction was the one who ordered the hit. However, Thane police has not confirmed the same.

One year ago, family of the deceased had sought the probe be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleging that they were not certain about the motive behind the murder.

Osama Shaikh, who was arrested on Tuesday from Muzaffarnagar, is alleged to have paid the shooters Rs 2 lakh for the hit. Hailing from Gorakhpur, Osama had been missing since the incident took place.

As per police, in the past three years, he had joined a religious group that went to several mosques in the area and thus managed to stay under the radar.

During interrogation, Osama told police that he had gone to Kashmir where he stayed for over a year, following which he went to Lucknow and Rajasthan before he came to Muzaffarnagar.

Prior to this, police arrested Habib Shaikh, Irfan Sonu Shaikh and Shahid Shaikh. Police said Sonu had been given the contract of bumping off Jamil while Shahid had provided Sonu shelter and helped identify the deceased.

The deceased had contested the Thane Municipal Corporation election twice from Rabodi on a MNS ticket and was an active party worker.

On November 23, 2020, when he was returning home by bike from a mosque in Rabodi, Thane, the assailants shot at him and fled.

Shaikh, who is the MNS president of the Rabodi ward, was rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead.