Proclaimed Offender in Anti-CAA Protests Arrested by Delhi Police

A man accused of violence during the December 2019 anti-CAA protests in southeast Delhi, who had been declared a proclaimed offender, was arrested. The police seized a pistol and rounds from him. He faces charges under the Indian Penal Code and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

A man involved in the December 2019 anti-CAA protests in southeast Delhi was apprehended by the police after being declared a proclaimed offender for his failure to appear in court, an officer reported on Friday.

Identified as Mohd Hanif, a 42-year-old resident of Shaheen Bagh, he became a co-accused in the case along with Sharjeel Imam and Aasif Iqbal Tanha. During his arrest, authorities seized a pistol and five rounds from him.

The police action follows a local court's March 7 order to frame charges against Imam and Tanha. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Amit Kaushik noted that Hanif, along with his brother, actively participated in riots in the New Friends Colony area during the protests. Hanif had secured bail previously but was later declared a proclaimed offender after failing to attend court sessions.

He had another case under the NDPS Act registered against him in 2022 but remained at large. Acting on a tip-off, the police laid a trap and captured him near the Gazipur-Ghadoli Village Road, discovering a pistol and ammunition in his possession. A new case under the Arms Act has been filed, and the investigation continues.

Hanif, originally from West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, left his education midway due to financial constraints and initially worked in the scrap business with his father before moving into chicken supply. He was introduced to the narcotics trade in 2016 through an acquaintance from the Nizamuddin area. Hanif's first arrest occurred in 2006 for assault and trespassing, with the Crime Branch detaining him again in 2018 on narcotics charges.

(With inputs from agencies.)