Hyderabad: The killing of gangster and former Maoist Nayeem alias Mohammed Nayeemuddin (45) in August 2016 was not the end of his vast crime and extortion network. In the weeks and months that followed, Telangana police had arrested several of his followers. One of them had a narrow escape after his partner in crime who tried to murder him was caught, but slipped away.
The murder attempt took place at a hotel in Kushaiguda, where Pasham Srinivas alias Seenu, a close confidante of the slain gangster Nayeem, had gone for lunch on Saturday, April 25.
Srinivas was one of the several followers of Nayeem to be arrested in Nalgonda for alleged kidnapping and extortion.
According to Kushaiguda Sub-Inspector (SI) N Venkanna, Srinivas and Khaja were both followers of Nayeem, having cases against them, and whenever Khaja needed money, Srinivas would give it to him.
“They had no serious monetary dealings or even rivalry. For the past several days, Srinivas hasn’t been sending money to Khaja, the reason why the latter developed a grudge against him,” Venkanna told Siasat.com.
As part of the plan to eliminate Srinivas on Saturday, Khaja followed the former from his present residence in Neredmet to the hotel in Kushaiguda. He brought two swords with him and followed him through the cellar of the hotel to the upstairs.
Venkanna said that some people noticed the weapons and immediately caught hold of him before alerting the police. However, Khaja escaped.
SI Venkanna said that a case has been lodged against him for attempt to murder and under the Arms Act, and a search operation is underway.
It is also learnt that Srinivas has around 105 cases registered against him related to extortion, kidnapping and other serious criminal offences. Preventive Detention (PD) Act was also invoked against him.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) that had probed Nayeem’s crimes had found that both Nayeem and Srinivas had extorted 21 real estate businessmen for money or properties.
Srinivas has also been undergoing probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, for forcefully registering several properties through threats, intimidation and worse.
The incident exposes the reality of Nayeem’s network still fully functional, with its tentacles spread in various sectors, professions and departments, including the media, even a decade after his killing in an encounter with the Telangana Grey Hounds on the outskirts of Shadnagar on August 8, 2016.
