Mumbai’s top chain snatcher shot dead by Chennai police

Jaffar Gulam Hussain Irani 35 the most wanted chain snatcher in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai with over 100 cases against him was shot dead in an encounter by the Chennai police early Thursday morning near Taramani Railway StationTwo of his accomplices identified as Misamum Dhusvasam Mesam Irani and Salman Hussain Irani were also arrested In a dramatic chase Jaffar and Misamum were apprehended at the Chennai airport Jaffar had already boarded a flight to Mumbai while Misamum was heading to Hyderabad The only clue the Chennai police had was Jaffarrsquos brightcoloured shoes which were spotted in CCTV footage near Taramani railway stationJaffar Misamum and Salman are members of the Irani gang from Irani Basti near Ambivli in Thane The gang frequently travelled across multiple states by air targeting highprofile areas After committing 510 chainsnatching incidents they would flee to another city via flight CCTV grabs of the accused on the bikeA gang led by Jaffar arrived in Chennai on Wednesday morning and targeted the Taramani area known as the cityrsquos IT corridor Within an hour at least eight chainsnatching incidents were reported all carried out by bikeriding gang members As complaints poured in the police launched a manhunt and set up nakabandis at key exit pointsAfter the thefts the gang abandoned their bikes and some valuables at Taramani railway station before booking a cab to Chennai airport Jaffar booked a flight to Mumbai Misamum to Hyderabad but Salman lacking proper documents couldnrsquot book a ticket Jaffar then instructed him to return to the railway station and take a train to HyderabadWhile reviewing CCTV footage police noticed the suspects changing clothes near the railway station A critical cluemdashJaffarrsquos brightcolored shoesmdashhelped track him Alerts were issued and officers received leads about two men trying to book lastminute Hyderabad tickets Acting swiftly police rushed to the airport where they found Jaffarrsquos flight delayedJaffar was arrested at the boarding gate while he was about to fly to Mumbai while Misamum was taken off a Hyderabadbound airplane During interrogation the duo revealed details about their parked bikes and stolen jewellery Around 230 am on Thursday police took them to Taramani railway station to recover the loot However Jaffar had hidden a countrymade pistol there Under the pretext of retrieving the jewellery he pulled out the weapon and fired at the police Despite repeated warnings he refused to surrender prompting officers to retaliate Jaffar was injured and taken to a private hospital where he was declared deadMeanwhile Salman who had boarded a train was arrested at Ongole station in Andhra Pradesh with the help of the Railway Protection ForceDr N Kannan Additional Commissioner of Police Law and Order South Chennai told midday ldquoThe accused appears to have conducted a recce of the area The bike used in the crime was brought from Karnataka He was apprehended at the airport but during the recovery of the bike and jewellery he fired at the police In retaliation he was injured and later succumbed to his injuriesrdquoSpeaking to midday Jafarrsquos aunt Mariam said ldquoThe family is in immense pain I donrsquot want to say anything right now We will decide our next steps only after bringing him to Ambivali and performing the last ritesrdquoCriminal HistoryJaffar Gulam Husain Irani 35Jaffar Husain Irani also known as Jafar Bhura is a notorious historysheeter with over 150 cases registered against him across the country Previously imprisoned under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act MCOCA he was released on bail a few months ago Irani lived with his parents wife and child in Ambivali and had a long record of criminal activities His father Gulam Irani also had a history of crimeMisamum Dhusvasam Mesam Irani 23An alleged member of the Irani Ambivali gang Misamum belongs to a family with a deeprooted criminal background His father Amjad Irani and his brother Abbas Irani have been imprisoned under MCOCA since 2021 His mother Fatima was arrested last year in an attempttomurder case for attacking a MIDC police team at Ambivali station Police sources reveal that Miasmum has been booked in more than three MCOCA cases and five of his uncles are also in jail under MCOCA charges Married six months ago Miasmum had been living in Karnataka since thenSalman Irani 35Salman Irani is implicated in at least 45 cases of snatching and other crimes across Maharashtra and multiple states in India He was particularly active in Madhya Pradesh and committed several offenses in Uttar Pradesh Jailed in Lucknow until November 2022 he resumed his criminal activities after release frequently moving between states with his associates