Coal mafia Sheikh Haji was handcuffed by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) for arms smuggling. For the past several months, Haji was playing cat and mouse, with ATS finally succeeded in nabbing him and recovering a pistol from his possession.
Despite a police station near Haji’s house, not only did he smuggle arms and coal, but also managed to become a coal mafia, right under the noses of police officials.
Earlier, this year, in the month of January, Supat Singh and Sanjay Khare were also arrested on the suspicion of arms smuggling to Naxalites. They were nabbed when they were returning from Jamalpur at the railway station. Along with two country made pistols, 20 live cartridges were also found in their possession. While interrogation, they admitted that, they were under the direct order of Haji Baba, and since then the ATS was looking for him.
As per the information available, Haji tried to surrender, but ATS refused and finally captured him on Monday around noon. Haji has been in this business of coal smuggling for a long time now. According the sources, his gang included around 40-50 criminals who use to steal coal from WCL mines, claimed police and WCL officials.
Most of the members of Haji’s gang have country made pistols and cartridges. Sources said, Haji would procure these weapons from Bihar, and Sanjay Khare who is a son of a retired police officer and also a history sheeter, helped Haji in the purchase.
Sanjay engaged one Supat Singh for transporting the arms from Bihar to respective places for Rs. 4000 per ammunition. Both the goons boarded Barauni- Secunderabad Express with two pistols and 20 cartridges on January 25, the police said.
The ATS got a tip off about the same and arrested the duo from the station itself. Haji has been remanded to the ATS custody till February 7, while Supat Singh was sent to judicial custody.
