Meerut mass murder: Main accused killed in encounter

Meerut: Two weeks after a Meerut-based family of five — including three girls who were 8, 4 and 1 years old — was wiped out in a brutal mass murder, UP police eliminated the main accused, Mohd Naeem, 50, following an encounter on Saturday morning. Naeem's accomplice, Mohd Salman, 37, was wounded in a separate confrontation hours later, police said.At the time of the murders, what had surprised many was the fact that the killings had happened in a crowded part of the city, with families living cheek to jowl, and yet nobody apparently had any inkling of the deadly crime.SSP Meerut Vipin Tada said, "Our team received intelligence inputs about Naeem's presence in Samargarh near Medina Colony in the early hours of Saturday. He was asked to surrender, but he pulled out a weapon and started firing while trying to flee. The ensuing encounter culminated in Naeem's fatal injury. He died in the hospital later."Tada added: "The same evening, another input pointed to his accomplice Mohd Salman's presence near Nahada village close to the under-construction Ring Road. When the police team surrounded him, he too opened fire, after which he was overpowered following a brief shootout in which he received a bullet in his leg. Both carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each. Two constables were struck by pellets. They are out of danger."On Jan 9, authorities discovered Mohd Moin, 40, bound to a cot, while the bodies of his wife Asma, 36, and their three daughters - Afsa, Aziza, and Adiba - were found hidden in a bed box at their rented house in Sohail Garden, Lisadi Gate. The violent nature of the killings caused widespread outrage in the region.Initial investigations pointed towards a property dispute and financial matters as motives. The FIR subsequently named three individuals -- Naeem, Tasleem and Nazrana -- along with other unidentified persons. Incidentally, Tasleem and Naeem were Moin's stepbrothers.Further investigation revealed that Naeem was also involved in criminal activities in Delhi — including thefts in New Friends Colony and a murder in 2000 in the national capital. Police said Naeem committed another murder in Mumbra (Mumbai) in 2006.Moin, who possessed documentation of Naeem's criminal past, recently sold his Roorkee property and moved to Meerut. It was then that Naeem requested Rs 6 lakh from Moin, which the latter refused.Consequently, Naeem and Salman sedated the family, tortured Moin, seized Rs 3 lakh and murdered all the family members. Their escape was captured on CCTV at the end of the lane.Meerut: Two weeks after a Meerut-based family of five — including three girls who were 8, 4 and 1 years old — was wiped out in a brutal mass murder, UP police eliminated the main accused, Mohd Naeem, 50, following an encounter on Saturday morning. Naeem's accomplice, Mohd Salman, 37, was wounded in a separate confrontation hours later, police said.At the time of the murders, what had surprised many was the fact that the killings had happened in a crowded part of the city, with families living cheek to jowl, and yet nobody apparently had any inkling of the deadly crime.SSP Meerut Vipin Tada said, "Our team received intelligence inputs about Naeem's presence in Samargarh near Medina Colony in the early hours of Saturday. He was asked to surrender, but he pulled out a weapon and started firing while trying to flee. The ensuing encounter culminated in Naeem's fatal injury. He died in the hospital later."Tada added: "The same evening, another input pointed to his accomplice Mohd Salman's presence near Nahada village close to the under-construction Ring Road. When the police team surrounded him, he too opened fire, after which he was overpowered following a brief shootout in which he received a bullet in his leg. Both carried a reward of Rs 50,000 each. Two constables were struck by pellets. They are out of danger."On Jan 9, authorities discovered Mohd Moin, 40, bound to a cot, while the bodies of his wife Asma, 36, and their three daughters - Afsa, Aziza, and Adiba - were found hidden in a bed box at their rented house in Sohail Garden, Lisadi Gate. The violent nature of the killings caused widespread outrage in the region.Initial investigations pointed towards a property dispute and financial matters as motives. The FIR subsequently named three individuals -- Naeem, Tasleem and Nazrana -- along with other unidentified persons. Incidentally, Tasleem and Naeem were Moin's stepbrothers.Further investigation revealed that Naeem was also involved in criminal activities in Delhi — including thefts in New Friends Colony and a murder in 2000 in the national capital. Police said Naeem committed another murder in Mumbra (Mumbai) in 2006.Moin, who possessed documentation of Naeem's criminal past, recently sold his Roorkee property and moved to Meerut. It was then that Naeem requested Rs 6 lakh from Moin, which the latter refused.Consequently, Naeem and Salman sedated the family, tortured Moin, seized Rs 3 lakh and murdered all the family members. Their escape was captured on CCTV at the end of the lane.