HE WAS INVOLVED AND DECLARED PROCLAIMED OFFENDER IN A UAPA AND SEDITION CASE REGISTERED IN 2001 AT PS NEW FRIENDS COLONY (DELHI). HE WAS EDITOR OF SIMI MAGAZINE ‘ISLAMIC MOVEMENT’ (URDU VERSION) AND INDOCTRINATED MANY GULLIBLE MUSLIM YOUTHS DURING LAST 25 YEARS.
(MOREPIC1) Face2News/New Delhi
A team of Southern Range Special Cell led by Inspector Pawan Kumar assisted by SI Sumit and other team members in the supervision of ACP Sh. Ved Parkash and DCP Sh. Alok Kumar, has arrested one of most illusive members of banned organization SIMI namely Mohd. Hanif @ Hanif Sheikh @ Haneef Hudai (aged 47 years) s/o Mohd. Ishaque Sheikh @ Habib-ur-Rehaman R/o Datta Nagar, Khadka Road Bhusawal, Distt. Jalgaon Maharashtra on 22.02.2024.
Hanif has been absconding for more than 22 years in a case of sedition and Unlawful Activities registered in the year 2001 at PS New Friends Colony, Delhi (Investigated by Special Cell/Southern Range). He was also declared proclaimed offender in said case in the year 2002 by the trial court.
INFORMATION & OPERATION
Hanif Sheikh is a most notorious and wanted/illusive SIMI terrorist. He is also involved in others cases of UAP Act and other anti-national activities in Maharashtra. Hanif Sheikh was declared proclaimed offender by a Delhi court in this case in the year 2002. He was like a Phantom in SIMI, and played an important part in all the infamous events like attending/arranging meetings of SIMI organization in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala, but every time when the police or other security agencies cracked down on the SIMI organization, he absconded as it vanished into the thin air without leaving any trace of his next move.(SUBHEAD)
Considering the fact that escape of such a terrorist is dangerous for the harmony of society, a team of Southern Range Special Cell under the leadership of Inspr. Karamvir Singh assisted by Inspr. Pawan Kumar, Inspr. Jitender Kumar and SI Sumit was assigned the task to collect data/information about the absconding SIMI cadres, their sympathizers, and sleeper cells across states. They were also asked to generate the sources and deploy them for gathering the information for specific areas which are suspected to be having presence of sympathizers of SIMI. The team of Southern Range Special Cell had visited and collected information from different part of country especially Delhi/NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
During the entire operation they worked consistently, travelled extensively across different states and made sincere efforts to identify the hideouts of the most wanted Hanif Sheikh.
The team deployed their informers/sources in those areas and worked day in and out to develop the information received with the help of informers. They further checked the presence of his associates and made efforts to track them. The relentless and committed efforts of the team bore fruits when specific information was received that the accused Hanif Sheikh @ Haneef Hudai has changed his identity as Mohd. Hanif and is now working as a teacher in an Urdu School in Bhusawal, Maharashtra.
Mr. Alok Kumar, Dy. Commissioner of Police, Special Cell / SR, DelhiA team was stationed there and after a pain stalking efforts they zeroed upon him. Based on this information, a raiding party was formed and a trap was laid near Asha Tower, Khadka Road, Bhusawal Maharashtra. At about 02:50 PM on 22.02.2024, one suspicious person coming from Mohmadin Nagar to Khadka road side was identified as Hanif Sheikh. Members of team started cornered him but Hanif Sheikh sensed the presence of police and tried to escape.
After scuffle, he was nabbed by the team. Hanif Sheikh has been arrested under appropriate section of law in case FIR No. 532 dated 28.09.2001 U/s 153A/153B/120B/34/174A IPC & 3 r/w 10/13/17/20 U.A.P Act PS New Friends Colony (Investigated by Spl. Cell/SR).
FACTS OF THE CASE IN WHICH ACCUSED HANIF SHEIKH WAS WANTED
Student’s Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was formed in 1976 at Aligarh, UP. The idea of this organization is to establish Dar-Ul- Islam (Land of Islam). ‘Jihad’ and ‘Shahadat’ are the basic slogans of SIMI. Due to involvement of SIMI activists in various Anti- National activities, the said organization was banned by Govt. of India.
On 27.09.2001, office bearers of SIMI were addressing a press conference near their Headquarter in Jamia Nagar, Delhi when police conducted a raid and many SIMI activists were arrested. A number of SIMI cadres fled from the scene and absconded. Incriminating material and provoking literature in the form of SIMI magazines (Islamic Movement), audio/videos in floppies, SIMI posters, computers, photo albums were recovered from SIMI headquarter.
BACKGROUND & CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES
Hanif Sheikh did his Diploma in Education from Marul Jalgaon in the year 1997. He joined SIMI organization in 1997 and became ‘ANSAR’ (full time worker). He became highly radicalized after coming in contact with SIMI activists. After joining SIMI organization, Hanif Sheikh started attending weekly programs of SIMI and also started radicalizing Muslim youths to join the outfit. Impressed by his strong zeal, Sahid Badar, then President of SIMI made Hanif Sheikh, Editor of Urdu edition of SIMI magazine ‘Islamic Movement’ in the year 2001.
He had written many provoking articles in the said magazine by falsely highlighting atrocities on Muslims in India. Thereafter, he was given a room in SIMI headquarter, Zakir Nagar, Delhi. Hanif Sheikh had a close association with Safdar Hussain Nagori, Abdus Shubhan Qureshi @ Tauqeer, Noman Badar, Shahnaz Hussain, Saif Nachain, Mohd. Khalid, Danish Riyaz, Abdullah Danish and others members of SIMI. At the time of raid of police in the year 2001, Hanif Sheikh along with others absconded from the spot and went underground.
He then moved to Jalgaon and thereafter to Bhusawal, Maharastra. He kept on changing his locations to evade arrest. He started working as a Urdu Teacher in a Nagar Nigam School in Bhusawal, Maharastra. He has also admitted to have visited many places in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat etc. and motivated many youths to join the SIMI.
Since the SIMI organization was banned, most of the active members got splintered. Some of them have continued their terrorist activities independently and have remained involved in various blasts and other anti national activities.
With the passage of time the senior members have started new organizations in the name and style of ‘Wahadat-e-Islam’. Most of the members of this organization are having their background/ association with SIMI. The basic agenda of this organization is also to unite the Muslim youth and to propagate the theory of radical Islam.
Accused Hanif Sheikh is one of the think tank members of Wahadat-e-Islam and is playing an important role in Maharashtra and other adjoining states. He is also involved in collecting money in garb of donation for supporting and financing the agenda of banned organization SIMI as well as Wahadat-e-Islam.
PROFILE OF ACCUSED HANIF SHEIKH
He has 05 siblings (03 brothers and 02 sisters). He is married and has 03 children. After his primary schooling from Bhusawal, he studied 10th class from Jamat-Ul-Huda, Madarsa, Malegaon, Nasik, Maharastra. So he used to write Hudai after his name. He did his Diploma in Education from Marul Jalgaon, Maharashtra. He got inclined towards Islam religion and started reading Islamic literature in college. He joined SIMI organization in 1998 at Bhusawal, Maharashtra. After that he moved to Delhi in 2000, where he stayed at SIMI headquarters at Jakir Nagar, Delhi. He worked as member of editorial board of Islamic movement magazine (Urdu Edition). As a member of SIMI, Hanif Sheikh has been continuously propagating hardcore Islamic ideology and luring gullible Muslim youths to join SIMI by radicalizing/brainwashing them.
PREVIOUS CRIMINAL HISTORY OF ACCUSED HANIF SHEIKH
1. FIR No. 158/1998 u/s 153B, 295A, 34 IPC PS Bhusawal, Maharashtra
2. FIR No. 104/1999 u/s 153A(1 & 2) IPC PS Bhusawal, Maharashtra.
3. FIR No. 3038/1999 u/s 188 IPC PS Bhusawal, Maharashtra.
4. FIR No. 3035/2001 u/s 3/10/11 UAP Act PS Bhusawal, Maharashtra.
His further activities are being verified. He is to be taken to various places in Maharashtra, Gujarat and UP to probe his roles. Further interrogation of the accused and investigation of the present case is in progress.
