Police hailed for ending Nayeem’s reign of terror

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday vowed that all the accused linked to the notorious gangster Mohammad Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem, however mighty they might be, will be punished.

However KCR, as the chief minister in known, rejected a demand by opposition parties for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the activities of the Nayeem gang saying Telangana police were fully capable of doing the job.

KCR was replying to a discussion on the crimes of the gang led by Nayeem, who was shot dead by the police in an encounter on August 8 at Shadnagar, 40 kms away from Hyderabad.

The chief minister said, for the past two-and-a-half decades, Nayeem’s gang had committed heinous crimes in the state.

“The activities of the gang, which commenced in Bhongir as the epicentre, gradually spread to the entire state of Telangana,” he said.

Nayeem who had started out as a left wing radical student activist, later joined the Maoists ranks.

After his surrender to police, he became an informant, helping authorities in anti Maoist operations.

However, he later became a full time gangster, running a mafia involved in land grabbing, violent crimes and extortions, allegedly with the backing of several police officials in Hyderabad and several other districts.

He had allegedly accumulated properties and wealth of hundreds of millions of rupees.

Holding the previous governments responsible, KCR said that, during the gang’s reign, Nayeem had continued his activities without any hindrance.

After the formation of the TRS government several victims of Nayeem gang approached the government for justice, he added.

Stating that intricate details of the case could not be made public at this juncture, he said all those who helped Nayeem gang, irrespective of which party they belonged to, will be brought to book.

“He committed most of his crimes in ten years rule of Congress party in the state”, KCR said asking the opposition to desist from raising doubts about the present government.

On the circumstances in which Nayeem was shot dead, the chief minister said that the police had mounted continuous surveillance on the activities and movement of the Nayeem gang.

“On August 8 police received credible information that Nayeem gang was moving with the deadly weapons in the Millennium Township area of Shadnagar. Police reached the sport and tried to effect the arrest of the gang. In an exchange of fire that ensured wen police tried to apprehend the gang, Nayeem lost his life. Police recovered one AK47 rifle, one nine mm pistol and ammunition from the scene of the crime”, the chief minister said in his statement to the House.

The chief minister said that in view of the serious nature of the crimes committed by Nayeem gang, the government appointed a special investigation team for a comprehensive investigation.

On the complaints of victims, SIT registered 174 cases against Nayeem gang, arrested 124 accused and examined 741 witnesses, KCR said.

During the raids on the dens and hideouts of Nayeem’s gang 21 fire arms, 21 cars 26 motor cycles, and cash worth Rs2.95 crores, documents of properties registered in the name of family and friends of Nayeem were seized. The documents pertained to 1015 acres of land, house sites to the extent of 167000 square yards, 27 residential houses, the Chief Minister said.

So far the involvement of Nayeem gang in 27 murders cases was established and their involvement was suspected in another 25 murder cases. Charge sheets were already filed in the court in two cases and another 15 charge sheets were ready to be filed.

Appreciating the good work of Telangana police in putting an end to the reign of terror unleashed by the Nayeem gang, the Chief Minister said, “Telangana police is number 1. They have already seized huge amount of cash, gold and properties accumulated by the Nayeem gang and filed charge sheets. There is no need for the CBI inquiry”.

T Jeevan Reddy of Congress drawing the attention of the Chief Minister to the reports that there was a huge haul of cash, gold, diamonds, and properties worth thousands of crores of rupees form the gang, asked, “where has all this wealth gone? Where is the diary which was reportedly seized from Nayeem’s house?’. He said either the government should disclose the wealth and the contents of the diaries or handover the probe to the CBI.