Thane Police Arrest Suspect After Mumbra Shooting Spree Injures Two Civilians
In a dramatic early morning incident in Thane, two civilians sustained gunshot injuries during a police chase in the narrow and congested lanes of Mumbra's Shil Daighar area on Saturday. The fleeing suspect, identified as Shahabad alias Shambhu Qureshi (28), allegedly opened fire indiscriminately while attempting to evade capture by a police team.
Sequence of Events Leading to the Arrest
The chain of events began around 5 am when Qureshi, a resident of Mahape Road, allegedly fired two rounds at a parked car and another shot into the air outside the Kausa residence of local businessman and social media influencer Nadeem Khan (45), popularly known as Baba Khan. Khan promptly uploaded a video on social media challenging his unknown attackers and claimed to have alerted senior police officials about a potential threat, which he stated went unheeded.
Mumbra police swiftly responded to the scene and, based on intelligence inputs, identified Qureshi as the prime suspect. They tracked him to the Achari Galli area in the nearby Daighar locality. As police closed in, Qureshi attempted to flee and opened fire at the pursuing team, disregarding the crowd of onlookers that had gathered.
Police Restraint and Civilian Injuries
The police team, comprising PSI Tejas Sawant, Anil Sonawane, constables Ankush Shinde, Aziz Tadvi, and others, exercised significant restraint by refraining from retaliatory fire to avoid endangering residents, according to Subhash Burse, DCP, Zone 1, Thane. "During the chase, the accused fired a few rounds, injuring two bystanders," Burse confirmed.
The injured civilians, Rahim Sayyed and Faroque Shaikh, were rushed to a nearby hospital with gunshot wounds to the finger and stomach, respectively. Their conditions are currently under medical supervision.
Arrest and Recovery of Evidence
Despite the chaotic situation, the police managed to overpower Qureshi and take him into custody. Anil Shinde, senior inspector at Mumbra police station, reported that an unlicensed firearm and four magazines were recovered from the suspect's possession. After the police team managed to pin him down, a few irate locals apparently charged at the accused following the firing, but the police teams managed to frisk him away in time.
Background and Ongoing Investigation
Preliminary investigations reveal that Qureshi, a native of Delhi who migrated to Mumbra some time ago, had a recent altercation with Khan. It is also reported that several cases were previously registered against him in Delhi. Police are yet to determine the exact motive behind Saturday's attack and whether he had any accomplices.
A local court has remanded Qureshi to police custody until March 11. In response to the incident, security has been tightened outside Khan's residence as authorities continue their probe into the matter.
