Meerut (UP): A wanted criminal who was the prime suspect in the murder of five of his family members and carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head was killed in a police encounter in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut early morning on Saturday.
In a statement, police said that a team tracked down Jameel Hussain alias Naeem on Saturday morning and an encounter ensued. "Naeem sustained gunshot injuries and was declared dead at a nearby hospital," reads the statement.
Naeem was the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of five people -- his stepbrother Moin and his wife and their three children -- at the latter's residence at Lisari Gate in Meerut on January 9. The victims were found dead with head injuries. Following the murders, police had announced a reward for Naeem and his accomplice, Salman.
"Investigations revealed that Naeem, who had a history of criminal activities in Delhi and Thane, had been changing his name and location to evade arrest. The motive behind the heinous crime was a dispute over money and property," a statement shared by Director General of Police (DGP) of UP Prashant Kumar read.
A police team tracked down Naeem on Saturday morning. The encounter took place at Chowki Summer Garden area Madina Colony Phase - 2
SSP Vipin Tada said that when the police surrounded Naeem at around 4 am, he opened fire and in retaliatory firing, he was shot in the chest. The police took him to Meerut District Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Had brutally killed stepbrother, his wife and three children
The SSP said that Naeem had allegedly killed his stepbrother and his entire family on January 9. His other partner Salman involved in the murder is still absconding. He too carries a bounty of Rs 50,000.
On 9 January, bodies of five people were found in a house in Suhail Garden in Meerut. The five had been brutally murdered, with an initial probe revealing they were hit by a blunt object.
When the police investigated, it was found that Naeem and his companions had killed his stepbrother Moin, his wife Asma and their three daughters. After the murder, the accused had allegedly wrapped the bodies of the couple in a sheet, while the bodies of the three children were stuffed in a sack and hidden inside a box.
Post-mortem revealed gruesome details
When the postmortem report came, it was found that the accused had hit Moin and Asma on the head with an iron rod more than 10 times. Two of their daughters were also attacked with an iron rod while the third one was strangled to death.
According to police sources, Naeem allegedly stayed at his brother-in-law Salman's house after committing the murders. Meerut Police had formed eight teams to arrest the murderers. The police checked the footage of nearby CCTV cameras, in which the murderers were seen roaming in Suhail Garden.
Reward amount increased
On January 11, the police announced a reward of 25,000 each on Naeem and his partner Salman. Recently, SSP Vipin Tada said that the reward amount was increased to Rs 50,000. Meerut police carried out raids in Maharashtra, Rajasthan and other states in search of both of them.
Read More
