The Delhi Police’s Southern Range Special Cell announced the arrest of Hanif Sheikh, a long-sought member of the banned organization Student’s Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). Sheikh, wanted in connection with unlawful activities and sedition, had been on the run for over 22 years and was declared a proclaimed offender.
According to officials, Sheikh was implicated in a sedition case and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act dating back to 2001 at the New Friends Colony Police Station. He was also the editor of SIMI’s magazine, ‘Islamic Movement’ (Urdu version), and had been involved in indoctrinating many young Muslim individuals over the past 25 years. Despite being pursued by the police for four years, his identity remained unknown until recently when his name, ‘Haneef Hudai,’ appeared on the magazine ‘Islamic Movement.’
The arrest was the result of diligent efforts by the Southern Range Special Cell, which collected information from various parts of the country and meticulously tracked down Hanif Sheikh’s hideouts. Deploying informers and sources, the team worked tirelessly day and night, checking his associates and tracking their movements.
After receiving specific information that Hanif Sheikh had assumed a new identity as Mohd. Hanif and was working as a teacher in an Urdu school in Bhusawal, Maharashtra, a team was stationed there. Following extensive efforts, a raiding party was formed, and he was eventually apprehended after a scuffle when he attempted to flee upon sensing the presence of the police.
Hanif Sheikh has been arrested under relevant sections of the law and will be taken to various places in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh for further investigation. The police recovered incriminating material and provoking literature from the SIMI headquarters, where Sheikh was also identified as a member of the think tank of Wahadat-e-Islam, playing a significant role in Maharashtra and adjoining states in collecting funds for supporting the agendas of both SIMI and Wahadat-e-Islam.
SIMI, formed in 1976 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, aimed to establish Dar-Ul-Islam (Land of Islam), with ‘Jihad’ and ‘Shahadat’ as its core slogans. Due to its involvement in various anti-national activities, the organization was banned by the Government of India. Further investigations into Sheikh’s activities and the current case are ongoing.