Accused in 1993 Mumbai riots arrested after 31 years

Mumbai: A 65-year-old man accused of involvement in the 1993 Mumbai riots has been apprehended after he went absconding for 31 years, according to police statements released on Tuesday. Sayyad Nadir Shah Abbas Khan was arrested by a team from the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg police station in the Sewri area on Monday, an official reported.

Khan was charged with attempted murder and unlawful assembly in connection with the riots that erupted in the city following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992.

Khan was arrested by police but never attended the court after obtaining bail, the official said. The court then declared Khan as a wanted accused and issued a non-bailable warrant against him, the official said. Police visited his residence in Sewri in central Mumbai many times but he remained untraceable. The sleuths finally got a lead about his whereabouts by examining the mobile phone records of his relatives.

On June 29, officials of Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg police station got information that Khan was going to visit his residence, following which a trap was laid and he was arrested. Khan has been re-arrested in the 1993 case and further probe was on, the official said.
(With PTI Inputs)