Cabbies held for NRI146;s kidnap, murder

The 39-year-old cloth merchant from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was abducted from outside IGI Airport by private cabbies late October 10 evening. He was robbed and the body thrown in the bushes on Delhi-Jaipur highway, near Manesar. Shameer, whose business trip to India began on October 7, had arrived that evening October 10 from Ahmedabad on a Spice Jet flight SG-218.

Palam police today arrested Manish, 24, and Monu, 25, from Sanjay Gandhi T-point when the duo was returning from Haridwar. A third accused, one Anil, is still absconding, Joint Commissioner of Police Operations Amulya Patnaik said. 8220;They were interrogated and were found involved,8221; Patnaik said.

The police have learnt from their interrogation that Shameer had stepped out of IGI Airport sometime after 9.30 pm on October 10. But instead of taking a prepaid taxi, he went to the trio8217;s private taxi: a white Ambassador; registration number DL1T-6001. The taxi belongs to Manish8217;s elder brother and he was behind the wheels, as Monu and Anil pinned Shameer down in the rear seat.

The car sped off towards Jaipur on NH-8. As they hit the highway, police said, the two in the backseat held a countrymade pistol to Shameer8217;s head and tied his hands. They then calmly took away his two bags, two cellphones, cash, ATM cards and other belongings. Thereafter, they shot Shameer and threw the body on the highway.

Body found in the bushes
The police in Bilaspur Gurgaon recovered the body on October 11 and registered an FIR under IPC Section 302 murder against unknown persons. But since they could not identify the body for the next three days, the police buried him on October 14 8212; the day Shameer8217;s cousin Afzal, based in Chennai, filed a missing complaint with Palam police see box.

8220;The accused dumped the body on the highway, between Manesar and Bilaspur in Gurgaon, and sped off,8221; JCP Operations Amulya Patnaik said. 8220;We checked all prepaid taxi records at IGI after receiving the missing complaint on October 14, and then asked many private cabbies and security staff.

8220;We also checked CCTV footage.8221;

The elaborate searches bore result: police found the trio, who operated as cabbies at the airport, were not seen since October 10, Patnaik said.

Sources said the first clue, that Shameer took a private taxi, came from CCTV footage.

The police then found from the trio8217;s families, based in East Mehram Nagar, that they had gone to Haridwar. All three had switched off their cellphones and used another car to flee 8212; the white Ambassador car was traced in Haridwar. Officials said that they had also withdrawn money from Shameer8217;s account in Riyadh8217;s Al-Razi Bank.

The police upped their watch, and the duo8217;s luck ran out this morning when police intercepted their car at Sanjay Gandhi T-point.

Victim had called home but did not connect
Shameer had rung up his wife in Riyadh at 5 pm and 9 pm on October 7, after landing in Mumbai. But, police said, the calls did not connect; his wife found the cellphone unreachable thereafter. Shameer8217;s Chennai-based cousin, Afzal, was in touch with the victim till October 10 and filed a missing report at Palam police station on October 14.

Shameer8217;s brother Dr Shaheer Kaithal also arrived from Australia on October 14. Shameer comes from Mahe in Kerala and was settled in Riyadh for the past 12 years.

He was booked on a return flight to Riyadh on October 12 after meeting a friend in Delhi on October 10.

Security system at IGI
Delhi Police mans security and traffic outside the terminals
CCTV cameras installed at airport and departure halls, but not in the range of prepaid taxi booths and taxi parking
Two or three officers can usually be found outside the airport, and one traffic official at the prepaid taxi booth
Taxi owners registered with prepaid booth can be traced easily but many private taxi cabs also operate in and around IGI; authorities do not possess any records of these