Mangaluru: Rowdy-sheeter & accused in 2013 rape case held after nearly 9 years on run

The CCB police have arrested a notorious rowdy-sheeter and prime accused in the 2013 Deralakatte gang rape case, who had been absconding for nearly nine years. The arrest was made by a CCB team under the leadership of DCP (Law and Order) Mithun HN.

The arrested is Safwan Hussain (42), a resident of Haleangady in Mangaluru, said City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy CH. 

Safwan was involved in 31 cases, including two murders, four attempt-to-murder cases, gang rape, dacoity, kidnap, extortion, threat, assault on police personnel, attack on jail inmates, robbery, preventing officials from performing duty, among others in Mangaluru City, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, he explained. 

The Police Commissioner said that Safwan was an accused in the 2008 kidnapping and murder of car driver Praveen, a case registered at Mulki police station. In connection with the case, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the High Court on February 28, 2020.

In a separate dacoity case registered in Karkala, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. Around 13 cases against him are currently under trial, while courts have issued arrest warrants in several others.

Five cases have been classified as long-pending cases (LPC). Safwan is also accused in the 2017 murder of Lefty Safwan. In that case, the victim was allegedly kidnapped, assaulted and murdered, and the body was later disposed of in the Agumbe Ghat. He had been absconding in connection with the case.

Explaining further, the commissioner said after evading arrest, he had fled to Andhra Pradesh, and was living with a false identity under the name Ummar Mohammed Nasir using a fake Aadhaar card. He had even obtained a passport using a fake name and has been abroad since 2018.

In Saudi Arabia, he was allegedly engaged in extortion by threatening Muslim businessmen and others from Mangaluru. He had even worked as a driver. Acting on tip off, the CCB team was successful in tracing him at Rayachoti in Andhra Pradesh and arrested him. 

As Safwan was the prime accused in Deralakatte gang rape case, legal proceedings against him will commence now. The trial against other accused persons in the case has reached the final stage. Safwan was also associated with the ‘Target’ gang and was also linked to an attempt to murder case involving Target Iliyas. 

The commissioner said action will be initiated against those who helped Safwan to abscond, create fake identity documents, obtain a passport, and remain in contact with him.