From student leader to dreaded ultra

​Hyderabad/Nalgonda: Repeated threats to ruling party MLAs by former Maoist Mohammed Nayeemuddin is said to have emboldened the state police and elite greyhound police personnel to track down the fugitive gangster, who is an accused in more than 100 cases of murder, extortion and land settlements.

Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem was gunned down on Monday by the Telangana police during an exchange of fire in Shadnagar of Mahabubnagar district. According to police records, Nayeem, the deceased gangster, started his career as a student leader in Student Federation of India and was attracted to the erstwhile ML People’s War Group (PWG) ideology. He was a teenager and studying in Bhongir Degree College in 1990, when he joined PWG.

Nayeem later joined Radical Student Union (RSU) of CPI ML (PW) and was made the organiser of RSU Bhongir town in 1991. Later, he was arrested by Yadagirgutta police when he attempted to attack police with a grenade.

After his released from jail, Nayeem went underground and joined the Aleru dalam of CPI ML (PWG) as a member with the alias name of ‘Balanna’. As part of his group’s action plan, Nayeem killed the then DIG K S Vyas at Lal Bahadur stadium on January 27, 1993. In December, the same year he was also expelled from PWG. Following his expulsion, he declared war against the PWG.

In 2000, he was arrested for killing APCLC (Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee) member Karanam Purushotham in Hyderabad. He obtained bail and for some days he attended court proceedings in various cases. In March 2007, Nayeem absconded after attending court and was never caught by the police. He managed to escape 11 times from police custody, before he was killed on Monday in Shadnagar.

Soon, Nayeem formed a gang and indulged in extortion, killings, kidnappings and other physical offences. Several non-bailable cases are pending against him, including that of DIG KS Vyas, former Maoists Konapuri Shambashivudu and Konapuri Ramulu, folk singer Belli Lalita and her three cousins, Azam Ali and APCLC President of Nalgonda Pattola Goverdhan Reddy. Nayeem is said to be involved in over 100 criminal offences, including 20 cases of murder.

For some days, he also worked as a covert operative for police and helped in eliminating Maoists and their sympathisers. He also reportedly played a key role in helping police to catch Sohrabuddin Sheik and his wife, who were later killed in an encounter in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 2005.

It was learnt that for the past two years, Nayeem had become notorious for his approach in land settlements in and around Hyderabad and Nalgonda. He was reportedly convening secret meetings for settlements at a rented house in LB Nagar.

Recently, Nayeem also threatened two legislators of the ruling party and asked them not to get involved in any of settlements he was dealing with. He repeatedly threatened and messaged some legislators and their relatives.

Two weeks before Nayeemuddin was gunned down in an encounter, his close associates Pasham Srinu and Bhongir ZPTC Sudhakar surrendered before district SP Prakash Reddy. The police had booked them under PD Act and they are currently lodged in Warangal Central Jail as undertrial prisoners.

After Nayeem was killed, several his followers went underground and have switched off their cell phones. Whereas some political leaders who have association with Nayeem are also worried about their arrests, sources added.