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Journalism of Courage
When the Charkop police began investigating the recent murder of a Malad-based businessman, Mohammad Ayub Sayyed, what initially proved challenging for them was that the CCTV footage from the crime spot showed two assailants, but their identities were unknown. However, there was one visual showing one of the assailants making a phone call, and the police latched on to that opportunity and traced the accused, including the businessman’s son and his business partner.
Ayub Sayyed, 69, who lived in Malad with his family, owned a business in metals and operated factories in Vasai and Charkop, located in the Kandivali area. He had two sons; the elder son managed the Vasai factory, while the younger son assisted his father at the Charkop factory.
The murder occurred on September 21, when two assailants allegedly entered the Charkop office around 11.30 am and remained there for more than half an hour. They allegedly stabbed Ayub multiple times in the abdomen, back, and hands with sharp weapons before fleeing the scene.
The CCTV footage showed the killers exiting the factory empty-handed after the murder. The police later recovered the bag containing the sharp weapons, which had been hidden in a water tank on the premises. Many people were called for an inquiry.
A significant lead emerged from CCTV footage that showed the assailant making a call after the murder. This raised suspicions about the identity of the person he was calling, suggesting that he was informing the person behind the plot, according to an officer from the Charkop police station.
The police began examining the phone call records associated with the victim. Suspicion fell on the business partner, Shanu Mushtaq Chaudhary, 40, when investigators discovered that he allegedly received a phone call at the same time the assailant was seen making a call on the CCTV footage shortly after the murder, according to a police officer.
Timing of call proved decisive evidence
“The timing of the call was our main focus, and as soon as it aligned, we contacted Chaudahry to inquire about the caller’s identity. Chaudahry told us that he recognised the person who called and that the call was work-related. A police team quickly moved in to apprehend the man based on the technical evidence. They successfully identified and captured Mohammad Khairul Islam Qadir Ali, 27, in the Govandi area,” said a senior officer involved in the probe.
During the interrogation, Khairul reportedly admitted that Chaudhary was the main conspirator in the murder. He claimed that Chaudhary contracted the killing for Rs 6.5 lakh and paid Rs 1 lakh in advance two weeks prior, according to the officer.
Chaudhary’s interrogation revealed that Ayub’s younger son, Hamid Ayub Sayyed, 41, was also part of the murder plot due to a property dispute with his father, added the officer. The Charkop police then arrested Chaudhary, Hamid, Khairul and his associate on murder charges.
During separate interrogations, Chaudhary and Hamid admitted to their roles in the crime, the police said. Chaudhary claimed he had invested nearly Rs 1 crore in partnership with Ayub, but consistently showed losses in the business and did not receive any profits. Recently, Ayub had Chaudhary pay Rs 8 lakh for machinery repairs, he said. When Chaudhary asked about the profits, Ayub abused him, according to his statement to the police.
As for Hamid, he was upset that his father had only given him a flat and not the Charkop factory, the police said.
“We arrested Hamid Ayub Sayyed, 41, son of the deceased; Shanu Mushtaq Chaudhary, 40, a betel nut dealer; and Mohammad Khairul Islam Qadir Ali, 27, and Khairul’s associate. Hamid and Shanu had planned to eliminate the victim a month ago,” said an officer of the Charkop police station.
The police said that in the excitement of committing the contract killing, the assailant forgot he was under CCTV surveillance and made a phone call to the conspirator demanding payment, which proved decisive in solving the case.
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