The Delhi Police have approached mosques in the Capital and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to make regular announcements about JNU student Najeeb Ahmed in the hope of making some headway. Najeeb has been missing for over 200 days now.
According to one senior police officer, “Despite so many teams working on the case, we have failed to make any headway.”
Investigating officers have now met the imam of Fatehpuri Masjid in Chandni Chowk and requested him to make announcements during prayers. “We asked them to request people to share any information about Najeeb. We have even requested imams of other mosques in Delhi, neighbouring areas and cities like Badaun, Bareilly where Najeeb has stayed to make announcements,” said a senior police officer. Police have also requested them to share information with “jamaats” who travel between mosques.
Najeeb’s family, meanwhile, said it had lost faith in the police. “We are as clueless about Najeeb now as we were on the first day,” said his brother Mujeeb.
He added that the police had done “little” to trace his brother and had only “harassed” them.
“It is very mysterious that every time the case comes up for a hearing in the High Court, we get a fake call sharing information about him. The police, very conveniently, tells the court that they are working on the leads gained through the call,” he added.
The Delhi High Court, while recently hearing a plea by Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees seeking whereabouts of her son, had rapped the Delhi Police over the manner of its probe. The court said the agency appeared to be looking for an “escape route” and was “beating around the bush”.
The family, however, is still hoping for Najeeb to return. Whenever his family receive a call from an anonymous number, they always hope that it might be Najeeb.
“We always try and pick calls. In case we miss any, we call back hoping that someone might be calling to tell us about my brother,” said Mujeeb.
Recently, the family received a call from a woman in Muzaffarnagar inquiring about their son. But, later it turned out that she had dialled the number by mistake since it was similar to her boyfriend’s number, the police said.
Najeeb’s mother, meanwhile, is trying to stay strong, but there are times when she breaks down.
Friday was one such instance. She broke down in front of DCP (Crime) G Ramgopal Naik, who is investigating the case, after the court hearing, pleading with him to find her son. “I don’t cry in front of my children since they are also going through a difficult phase. But I cry whenever I am praying to God,” said Ms. Fatima.
“Police has projected a negative image of my son. He is very good-natured and unlike what he has been made out to be. I have faith that he will come back,” she added.
