Delhi Police have arrested two brothers, Firasat Ali and Shah Nawaz Ali, who had been evading arrest for nearly a decade after being sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1996 murder case. The accused were caught in coordinated operations in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
Background of the 1996 Murder Case
The brothers were convicted in a murder case registered at Rajouri Garden police station in Delhi, where a dispute over the purchase of an old saree led to a violent attack on September 27, 1996. Shah Nawaz, along with Firasat and two associates, allegedly barged into the complainant's house armed with knives and fatally stabbed Ishtiaq Ahmed alias Pappu.
The accused were initially granted bail while their appeal was pending before the Delhi High Court. However, after the High Court upheld their conviction on May 12, 2016, and directed them to surrender, both absconded instead of returning to jail.
Investigation and Arrests
Firasat was arrested from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, while Shah Nawaz was apprehended in Godda, Jharkhand. Firasat was also a proclaimed offender in a 2006 Mumbai contract killing case, where he allegedly murdered Kisan Kharva for Rs 2 lakh. The brothers had been moving across several states, working as clothes merchants, to avoid detection.
- Firasat Ali, 56, and Shah Nawaz Ali, 51, were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000.
- Firasat was also involved in a 2006 Mumbai contract killing case.
- The brothers were arrested in Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand after years on the run.
Both accused have been lodged in Tihar Jail, and the Mumbai Police has been informed about Firasat's arrest in connection with the contract killing case. The investigation is ongoing, and further developments are expected.
