NIA seeks help of Tanzil’s children

The investigating agency has not ruled out ‘terror angle’ in the inspector’s murder

Bijnor: File photo of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer Mohammad Tanzil who was shot dead by two unidentified attackers near his hometown Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh on late Saturday night. Tanzil was returning from a function with his wife and two children when the attackers opened fire at his car. PTI Photo(PTI4_3_2016_000097B)

The two children sit with a blank stare in the swanky conference room for hours. There is not much time for the 14-year-old girl and her 12-year-old brother to grieve in private for their parents, both killed by bullets fired at the family as it was returning from a wedding in the early hours of April 3.

Ever since National Investigation Agency Inspector Mohammed Tanzil Ahmed was shot dead and his wife Farzana grievously injured at Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, the NIA and the Uttar Pradesh police have not been on the same page about the motive. The two children are now the prime witnesses. For the past two days, the two children have spent hours at the NIA office on Jai Singh Road here. They are helping the sleuths of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and the NIA track down the main accused and unravel the motive behind the killings. The NIA has not yet ruled out the “terror angle” in the case.

U.P. police’s claim

The Uttar Pradesh police have claimed that they have resolved the case by arresting Mohammad Rehan, nephew of Ahmed’s brother-in-law, and Mohammad Jaini. Both are residents of Sahaspur village in Bijnore, Ahmed’s native place. The main accused, Muneer, of the same village, is at large.

Officially, the Uttar Pradesh police have said “vengeance, personal animosity and domestic disputes” were the prime reason for the crime. But neither the family nor the NIA is convinced.

Ragheeb Ahmed, the NIA Inspector’s elder brother, said it was difficult to distract the children from the events that unfolded that night but the entire family had come together for this. He said nabbing the main accused was necessary and the children’s help was sought by the police.

“The children went to the NIA headquarters and they patiently answered all questions. The younger one is still nervous while recollecting the crime, but the daughter is strong. The children told the police that the night before the murder, they saw Rehan loitering near their house at Sahaspur. They even alerted Tanzil to this, but he did not take it seriously because he was a relative,” said Ragheeb, a schoolteacher.

Ragheeb said he and his brother were close to each other.

“We shared everything, he never told me about Muneer. The Uttar Pradesh police are saying that he had purchased a property at Batla House, Gurgaon, along with Muneer. Please show me one document which says they purchased a property together,” said Ragheeb.

“After my brother was killed, the children resumed school for the first time on Monday. The school authorities have counselled the other children not to raise this subject with them. All of us are doing our bit to bring normality to their lives,” said Ragheeb.

‘Friendly environment’

The NIA requested the Uttar Pradesh police to carry on its investigation at its office in Delhi so that the probe was not “botched up” and the children were given a friendly environment.

“We did not want the children to face any hardship or inconvenience at a faraway police station in Uttar Pradesh. So, we asked the policemen to continue their investigations here,” an NIA official said.

“We have to catch Munir. It is possible that he killed Tanzil on someone’s direction. We are not ruling out the involvement of any terror group yet,” another NIA official said.