History sheeter held after nine-hour hunt

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai crime branch on Saturday, arrested a 35-year-old robber from Khalapur in Raigad district, who has 90 criminal cases against him. Faiyyaz Khalid Shaikh has also been allegedly involved in three cases of firing at the police and has been booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). His two accomplices — Sakharam Pawar, 30, and Haji Peer Mohammed Shaikh alias Salim, 32 — have also been arrested.

Shaikh, a resident of Owa Peth, Panvel, has charges of robbery, chain snatching, attempt to murder, attack on government servant, and illegal possession of firearms against him registered at police stations across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri, Palghar, Raigad, Virar and Vapi.

On Friday, a Kharghar resident approached the police after her chain had been snatched. The description given by her matched with Shaikh’s, after which the police laid a trap to nab him. Through CCTV footage and other leads, police traced him to Pawar’s house in Khalapur.

Navi Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Kumar said, “On

Saturday, around 6.30am, our special squad reached the spot.we wore bullet-proof jackets and had taken plastic bullets. Though Pawar came out of the house, Shaikh and Salim remained inside and fired at us.”

The firing lasted around 25 minutes. Shaikh received three bullet injuries. When the police were carrying out sanitisation operation in the house, Shaikh and Salim bent the iron bar of a window and escaped. The two were nabbed around 8am.

The duo and four police personnel are being treated for their injuries.