When history-sheeter Ayub Khan of Old City managed to fly abroad a few months ago even as he was facing several criminal cases here, the city police ignored it.
Taking cue from Khan and apparently emboldened by the callousness of the police, two more persons accused of purchasing jewellery from a gang of snatchers followed suit. One of these two accused, Mohd. Irfan, even returned to Hyderabad and later surrendered before the court.
Only after his surrender did the city police wake up from their slumber and move the court seeking his custody for interrogation. Though they had succeeded in recovering some gold jewellery after interrogating him, questions remain as to how Ayub Khan, Irfan and the latter’s associate Majeed Khan went overseas while criminal cases were pending against them.
Serious offences
Ayub Khan was charged with indulging in several serious offences like extortions and abductions. He was convicted in a murder case by the trial court but eventually the High Court acquitted him of the charge. Soon after this, he disappeared.
“How can a person to be tried in several cases and on whom surveillance was supposed to be kept all the time escape to other countries?” wonders a veteran police officer, unwilling to be identified. Even months after Ayub Khan’s disappearance, police are not sure if he had travelled on his original passport or with one obtained fraudulently with false details.
More interesting is the episode of Mohd. Irfan and Majeed Khan – alleged receivers of gold ornaments from snatchers. Realising that their arrest was imminent following detention of the snatchers, the duo flew away to the Gulf. While Majeed stayed back, Irfan returned to Hyderabad and surrendered before a local court.
TF in the dark
All this while, the law and order police and the Commissioner’s Task Force officials were completely in the dark. Why the police didn’t issue a look-out circular and alert airport authorities even after learning that the accused had flown to other countries is not clear.
This raises several suspicions since in similar instances earlier, the police had issued circulars. One of Ayub Khan’s accomplices, who fled the country, was caught when he landed at the airport in Shamshabad.
The callousness of the police has led to several accused charged with criminal offences fleeing the country. Why they didn’t issue a look-out circular and alert airport authorities is not clear
