Hyderabad, April 16: A manhunt is said to have been launched by the police force for its unofficial agent and dreaded former Naxalite Mohammed Nayeemuddin who had allegedly masterminded the murder of TRS leader Sambasivudu last month.
“The Nalgonda district police have formed a couple of teams to track down Nayeemuddin. It is just a matter of time before he is arrested,” a senior police officer told TOI on Friday.
Sambasivudu, 46, himself a surrendered Naxalite and reported rival of Nayeemuddin was brutally murdered on March 26.
Both Sambasivudu and Nayeemuddin hail from Bhongir in Nalgonda district. Though their rivalry is old, they had found supporting opposing parties in numerous land deals in Hyderabad and its surroundings.
After Sambasivudu’s murder, some of the suspects grilled by the cops reportedly said a person was asked by Nayeemuddin to hire unemployed men from Nalgonda for the job. This person distributed about Rs 2 lakh in about a month to the suspects to carry out a recce and prepare for the assault.
Nayeemuddin is said to have enjoyed the protection and patronage of some senior police officers and politicians. They have used him as informer and he, in return, got them to cover him in his illegal activities.
But other police officers, who were uncomfortable with Nayeemuddin’s association with the department, believe that his support account has now diminished. In this changed scenario, there is a possibility that he could be arrested soon, they said.
–Agencies