Chhota Shakeel aide's kin missing from home

Mumbai: In what could be a big jolt to Mumbai police’s efforts to get fugitive gangster Sayyad Muzakkir Muddasar Hussain alias Munna Jhingada (48) extradited from Thailand, the Mumbai crime branch has learnt that his parents and sister have been missing from their Jogeshwari residence since a fortnight.

While crime branch has launched a manhunt for the trio, it suspects they could have fled to Pakistan via Nepal. Jhingada — an alleged Chhota Shakeel aide, had led the team that made a bid on Shakeel’s rival gangster Chhota Rajan in Bangkok in September 2000 — wherein the latter survived with two bullet injuries. Pakistan had produced Jhingada’s wife and child before the Thai court in 2016 as witnesses to substantiate their claim of the gangster’s Pakistani nationality. The Mumbai police had stated then that Jhingada had married the women after he had fled from India to Pakistan via Dubai. It is now feared that if Jhingada’s parents and sister end up in Pakistan, the authorities would mostly produce them too before the court in Thailand as witnesses, sources in the establishment claimed.

The Mumbai police had stated then that Jhingada had married the women after he had fled from India to Pakistan via Dubai. It is now feared that if Jhingada’s parents and sister end up in Pakistan, the authorities would mostly produce them too before the court in Thailand as witnesses, sources in the establishment claimed.

The sudden disappearance of Jhingada’s family members from Mumbai is a matter of worry as they are not traceable, even in their native Uttar Pradesh. Officials are shocked, with the thought that the trio might have sneaked into Pakistan by crossing over into Nepal via their border village in Uttar Pradesh.

The struggle ensued after his arrest in Thailand in 2002 when Pakistan claimed Jhingada was its citizen, as he was arrested possessing their passport in the name of ‘Mohammad Saleem.’ The Mumbai crime branch had collected DNA samples of the trio in 2014 that were put up before the Thailand court as strong evidence to seek his custody, proving his Indian connection.

“The family is not to be found since past few days and police teams are trying to trace them in Mumbai and UP. Their relatives are also being questioned,” said a police officer privy to the investigation.

The developments have taken place amidst the ongoing hearing in Jhingada's extradition plea that has gathered momentum with the beginning of witnesses’ examination. The crime branch’s deputy commissioner and fingerprint expert from the state Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) Finger Print Bureau deposed as witnesses before the Thai court last week. The deposition had to be made owing to difference in Thai and Indian laws.

The crime branch team headed by the DCP and comprising three others had left for Thailand last week and returned to Mumbai late on Tuesday.

Sayyad Muzakkir Muddasar Hussain alias Munna Jhingada was arrested by the Thai police in 2002, two years after he led the team to carry out an attack on gangster Chhota Rajan

The tug of war between India and Pakistan for securing Jhingada’s custody began ever since as he was arrested in possession of a Pakistani passport with name Mohammad Saleem

Pakistan has also got support from China, which has been allegedly exerting pressure on the Thai government to rule in Pakistan’s favour

The Crime branch had collected the DNA samples of Jhingada’s family and had also sent fingerprints of his that were collected following his arrest in a case.

The Mumbai police is building up a case in Thailand to seek his custody for trying him in criminal cases registered here as it is difficult to prove his nationality with him holding a Pakistani passport that was officially issued to him.