Wanted SIMI Terrorist Hanif Sheikh Arrested After 22 Years

On February 22, a special cell of the Delhi Police nabbed Hanif Sheikh (47), an elusive member of the outlawed organisation Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The only lead authorities had to arrest him was an alias he employed while serving as editor of a SIMI-owned magazine.

Hanif Sheikh, also known as Mohd Hanif and Haneef Hudai, is the most notorious and wanted SIMI terrorist, according to the Delhi Police. He had been absconding for 22 years before being labelled a proclaimed offender in 2002.

In 2001, a case was filed against him at Delhi’s New Friends Colony Police Station on sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act allegations.

According to the authorities, Hanif Sheikh was the editor of SIMI’s journal ‘Islamic Movement’ and was responsible for inducting new members into the unlawful organisation. The authorities were unable to determine his identity, and the only indication they had was the name ‘Haneef Hudai’, which appeared in the magazine.

The Delhi Police’s Southern Range Special Cell had been attempting to apprehend Hanif Sheikh for four years.

According to the authorities, Hanif Sheikh played a major part in attending SIMI meetings in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kerala. However, whenever police pressed down on the prohibited organization’s operations, Hanif Sheikh slipped out of their grasp.

To apprehend Sheikh, the Delhi Police’s Southern Range Special Cell began collecting information about him from various states. To track down Sheikh and his cronies, the team recruited informants in up to seven states.

An informant then informed the authorities that Sheikh had changed his name and was now working at an Urdu school in Bhusawal, Maharashtra. 

A team was formed to apprehend Sheikh in the area. Hanif Sheikh, a suspicious individual travelling from Mohmadin Nagar to Khadka Road, was found by police on February 22. After police cornered Sheikh, the two sides got into a brawl.

“Around 2.50 p.m. on February 22, a man travelling from Mohmadin Nagar to Khadka Road was identified as Hanif. As members of the squad surrounded him, Hanif attempted to flee but was apprehended after a tussle’, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Alok Kumar told news agency PTI. However, authorities were able to apprehend the fugitive terrorist after more than two decades.