Mumbai Police arrest burglary suspect who was absconding for 20 years

The Rafi Ahmed Kidwai RAK Marg Police have arrested Habibul Baksh Sheikh who had been absconding for over 20 years A former resident of Sewree Sheikh was booked and arrested in a burglary case but went missing in 2005 after securing bailAccording to the police Sheikh was initially arrested and lodged in jail but later secured bail and never returnedDespite multiple summonses for court hearings he failed to appear In 2005 the court declared him absconding and issued a nonbailable warrant against himAs part of Mumbai Policersquos recent drive to apprehend absconding criminals Deputy Commissioner of Police Ragasudha R Zone 4 formed a special team led by SubInspector Pallavi Jadhav to track down SheikhDuring the investigation police discovered that he had moved out of Mumbai to evade arrest and was living with his family in Uttar Pradeshrsquos Banda districtA team was deployed to UP and with the assistance of local police they successfully arrested himWadala accidents lsquoWe know living on footpaths is dangerous but no other optionrsquoIn the last three months two childrenmdasha fouryearold boy and a oneandahalfyearold toddlermdashwere killed in separate road accidents on Balaram Babu Khedekar Marg inWadala West In both cases the victims children of slum families living on footpaths were crushed to death by motorists The families while talking to midday expressed their disappointment and anger towards the authorities who according to them failed to provide a secure housing systemNikhil Londhe who lost his son in the accident on Sunday said his family previously lived in a slum nearShree Ram Mandirin Wadala West Along with his wife and two sons they resided in huts until the BMC demolished their settlement leaving them with no alternative housing ldquoWe couldnrsquot find another place to stay This spot had relatively open footpaths and the roads were narrow with fewer vehicles passing through so we moved here with our familiesrdquo said a relativeIn the early hours of Sunday Londhersquos son Vardan and his wife Priya were sleeping on a footpath when a car allegedly ran over them killing the child Priya sustained fractures to her left shoulder and back and is currently undergoing treatment in the hospitalHomeless residents speakOther slum residents while speaking to midday expressed their frustration over frequent displacements urging theBrihanmumbai Municipal CorporationBMC to provide them with a permanent settlementldquoItrsquos not like we want to live on footpaths knowing how dangerous it is but do we have any optionsrdquo said a distressed Ravi Daund ldquoI earn Rs 300 to Rs 500 a day and even that is not guaranteed With this kind of money I cannot afford to rent a kholi chawl and these days even living in a jhopda hutment is becoming impossible Where will we gordquo he addedAnother resident said ldquoIf the BMC can provide us with a place to live without the constant fear of eviction it would be a huge relief Right now we are always afraidmdasheither of being killed while sleeping or crossing the road or of being thrown out of our jhopda and becoming homeless againrdquoResidents speakldquoThey are always making a mess here They urinate and defecate in the open some smoke ganja and many drink at night This place has become extremely unsafemdashwe donrsquot know how they will behave or react Some days they fight among themselves hurling abuses and even assaulting each otherrdquo said ashop ownerAnother resident said ldquoWe have colleges and schools in the vicinity with young girls frequently passing through Who will be responsible if an untoward incident occurs The BMC should permanently relocate them elsewhererdquoAnother shop owner who has been in the area for over 17 years added ldquoThe authorities demolish the slums but the dwellers return the next day A permanent solution is needed or this cycle will continue for generationsrdquoOther deathLast year on December 21 a fouryearold boy was crushed to death by a Sports Utility Vehicle SUV in the same area The boy lived in the slums located opposite Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College thatrsquos right oppositeWadala bus depotThe boy identified as Ayush Kinawade was allegedly playing on the road when the SUV driven by a 19yearold Bhushan Ghole hit the child Ghole reportedly was reversing his vehicle when the child unknowingly came in front of the vehicle The child was crushed by the vehiclersquos tyre Ghole was arrested by the RAK Marg policeLike the recent incident in this 2024rsquos incident people were living illegally on footpaths nearAmbedkar College midday could not locate Ayushrsquos family in the slums but a local resident said they moved to their hometown after the incident