Senior had allegedly threatened Saiyed asking him not to depose before the Nanavati commission.
Mehboob Senior, once considered the right-hand man of slain gangster Abdul Latif, was arrested by the Gujarat University police on Monday for threatening riot witness and activist Nadeem Saiyed earlier this year. Later, Saiyed was hacked to death in Juhapura on November 5.
Police inspector SJ Vaghasiya of Gujarat university police station told DNA that Senior was arrested in connection with a case lodged by Saiyed on July 3 this year, nearly five months before Saiyed was brutally murdered in broad daylight.
Senior had been arrested for threatening Saiyed and asking him not to depose before the Nanavati commission in the Naroda Patia massacre case. Senior had allegedly threatened Saiyed of dire consequences if he gave evidence in the riot case.
After several rounds of interrogation on Monday, the police finally arrested Senior at 9:30 pm. The police have also seized the cell phone and SIM card which was used to make the threatening call to Saiyed. The cell phone belongs to Senior’s neighbour, one Irfan Shaikh, the police said.
Senior police officials said Mehboob Senior was arrested to find out whether he had made the threatening call on the instruction of any political leader, or was it a conspiracy against Saiyed. The officials said it was necessary to know the motive as Senior had nothing to do with the 2002 riots. Police said they don’t have details of what exactly transpired during the conversation between Senior and Nayeem but call details do point to their conversation.
Interestingly, sources said that Senior, before his arrest, had told the police during his interrogation that he had called up Saiyed and asked him not to depose before the Nanavati commission as it would further increase the ill will between Hindus and Muslims.
Senior's role is also being probed in the murder of Nayeem Saiyed in Juhapura. Crime branch officials who are investigating the murder have already interrogated Senior in the case. Senior is also an accused in Kalupur building collapse case in which five people were killed.
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