Hyderabad: Telangana Congress vice president Mujahid Alam Khan and his 84-year-old father, Mahboob Alam Khan, were arrested by Hyderabad police Friday for their alleged involvement in the killing of Waqf Board advocate Khaja Moizuddin.
Moizuddin was killed in the early hours of 23 May when he stepped out of his car for a routine swim in the Masab Tank area. In what was described initially as a hit-and-run case, a green Scorpio rammed into Moizuddin, who was dragged for about 200 metres, causing him grievous injuries. He was later taken to Mahavir Hospital, where he died.
Initially, a case was registered at Nampally Police Station under relevant sections of BNS, and later altered to murder charges following his death, Hyderabad Police’s handle on X stated.
Hyderabad commissioner V. C. Sajjanar detailed the outcome of a week-long investigation, pointing to a four-month-long planned conspiracy allegedly by the Telangana Congress leader and his father to eliminate Waqf Board advocate Moizuddin. Police named Mujahid Alam Khan as the main conspirator who allegedly arranged the contract killing, while his father assisted the accused in evading arrest after the offence.
Father and son have been charged under sections 103(1) for murder and 61(2)(a) for criminal conspiracy under the BNS. Congress leaders confirmed to ThePrint that the party has decided to expel Mujahid.
In addition to the Telangana Congress leader and his father, police have arrested five others for aiding and abetting the crime.
Speaking to reporters late on Friday evening, the Hyderabad commissioner said the murder was planned months in advance in January, with reconnaissance being conducted by the accused. Sajjanar said decades-long property and financial disputes were believed to be the motives for the crime.
Rs 10 lakh in cash, several mobile phones and the Mahindra Scorpio vehicle used in the crime were seized during the investigation, police told the media.
“In a very scientific manner, we have conducted a detailed investigation. The accused, Mujahid Alam Khan, his father, Mahboob Alam Khan, and their associates planned to eliminate the advocate for a contract amount of Rs 15 lakh. The conspiracy was executed through intermediaries Hassan Ali alias Chaous, Muneer and Kishan alias Pappu. The accused Kishan later engaged Vinay, who brought in Abhijeeth alias Nani, Vikram alias Chintu and Manideep alias Pogo Nani to carry out the murder,” Sajjanar said.
While the Telangana Congress leader and victim Waqf Board advocate Moizuddin were involved in several disputes, Alam’s upcoming medical college in Malakpet and sprawling commercial complexes in Lakdi-ka-Pul in Hyderabad are understood to be the immediate motive.
Mahboob Alam Khan and his son belong to an aristocratic family of the erstwhile state of Hyderabad. Known to be part of Hyderabad’s erstwhile nobility, the family was not only one of the few leading industrialists in the state of Hyderabad but also owned prime properties in the city. The Khans also own the famous Hyderabad Deccan Cigarette Factory, which markets the Golconda brand, besides manufacturing various other cigarettes for ITC. Mujahid is also the chairman of the Golconda Educational Academy that manages a chain of engineering, pharmacy, and nursing colleges in Hyderabad.
Telangana Congress leader Mujahid is also a close relative of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. Owaisi’s elder daughter is married to Mujahid’s brother, and the two families have also been engaged in land disputes for close to two decades, sources told ThePrint.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
