Nine-Year Hunt Ends: Mumbai Murder Fugitive Nabbed in Goa

Police in Mumbai have apprehended a man who had been absconding for nine years following a murder in Andheri (East). Mehtab Alam Ajimatullah Khan, now 46, was arrested in Goa on Tuesday. He was wanted in connection with the fatal bludgeoning of scrap dealer Wasimullah Mohsin Shaikh on February 3, 2017.

Khan, who was 37 at the time of the incident, had fled Mumbai shortly after the murder, changing his name and relocating to Karnataka before settling in Goa in 2020. He worked with a scrap dealer there that handles government tenders. The motive for the murder was reportedly related to the victim tipping off Nashik police about one of the accused's brothers.

The breakthrough in the nearly decade-old case came when MIDC police initiated a review of old cases and absconders. Utilizing technical assistance and social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, investigators were able to track Khan's movements and eventually locate him in Goa. His employer's business, which involved acquiring scrap through government tenders, led the police team to filter through various scrap dealers before identifying Khan.

Khan had successfully avoided capture for so long by traveling with labourers to different states where his employer secured tenders, never consistently using a mobile phone, and changing his place of residence frequently. He is currently in police custody facing charges for murder and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.