Notorious gangster and a renegade naxalite Nayeemuddin alias Nayeem, known for grisly methods of murdering his targets, was killed in an encounter with Greyhound commandos at Shadnagar town of Mahabubnagar district, 50 kms away from Hyderabad early on Monday morning, the police said.

Nayeem, whose name spelled terror for more than 20 years and another accomplice were killed in an exchange of fire after Greyhound force and special police force raided his hideout at around 7 am at a gated colony Millennium Township in Shadnagar town of Mahbubnagar district on Monday.

Director General of Police Anurag Sharma told the media in Hyderabad that the policemen tried to nab Nayeem alive.

“When the police asked him to surrender his men opened fire and in the retaliatory firing by the police Nayeem was killed”, he said.

“In the melee Nayeem’s driver managed to escape from the scene”, a police official said. There was no casualty on the side of the police. Two others were taken in to custody and were being questioned. 

Though Telangana police is looking for Nayeem for a long time, it achieved a major breakthrough last evening after Nayeem allegedly killed one of his gang members Wajed at Zaheerabad town of Medak district. “Police learnt that Nayeem and his gang members had fled to Shadnagar and reached there at around 7 pm last evening”, Anurag Sharma said.

Special forces from Hyderabad and Nalgonda surrounded the hideout on Sunday night and vacated the other houses in the vicinity before raiding the place. The deployment of heavily armed commandos, hectic police activity and cordoning off the area had led to rumors of the presence of terrorists there. Panic spread as the gun shots rang through the township off the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway.

After the encounter the police recovered one AK-47 and four shotguns from the house belonging to one Basha. Two bullet ridden bodies including one of Nayeem were found in the house.

later the Police also raided and searched Nayeem’s house in Alakapuri area of Hyderabad and seized a big amount of cash. 200 policemen took part in the operation and currency counting machines were being used to count the money recovered.

Using his skills of using arms and explosive as a trained naxalites and the backing he received as a police covert and informer, Nayeem had formed a gang of criminals and anti social elements emerging as a law unto himself and amassed massive wealth, a senior police official said. Police say as he was involved in settling the land and other property disputes for a fee Nayeem had also amassed huge tracts of prime land and other properties in and around Hyderabad.

In the course he had also developed rivalries with other gang leaders including one Aziz Reddy an aide of Mumbai based Mafia don Chhota Rajan.

Killing of Nayeem was a big success for Telangana police as he was wanted in connection with hundred criminal cases including several murders, extortion, land grabbing and settlements in exchange of money.

Nayeem, a resident of Bhongir in Nalgonda district had started as a naxalite by joining People’s War Group (PWG) in 1989 and was involved in several sensational attacks including the murder of a senior IPS officer, DIG KS Vyas in lal Bahadur Stadium of Hyderabad on January 27, 1993. Vyas was head of the anti naxalite Greyhound force and was involved in elimination of several top naxalite leaders.

Nayeem’s name figured in 100 criminal cases including 20 murders.

But later he turned renegade and started working as a covert agent of the police and killed several Maoist leaders.

Typical to his gruesome style of killing, he was involved in killing a woman Maoist Belli lalitha and chopping her body to 18 pieces before dumping them in a well in Bhongir in Nalgonda district.

His other victims include former Maoist  turned TRS  leader K Sambashivudu, former Maoists Patolla Govardhan, Ganesh, Eidanna, and Ramulu and three human rights activists Purushottam Rao, Karunakar and Azam Ali in Hyderabad.

Though arrested by the police several in connection with several cases he managed to escape a record 11 times strengthening the suspicion that the police was using his services to get the Maoists and human rights activists killed during the Telugu Desam and Congress regimes. Human rights and civil rights group had alleged that top police officials were using his services for their personal gains and also to target the Maoist leaders and others by extending clandestine support to him. Police had arrested him last time in 2001 and since his escape he eluded the police successfully.

Nayeem’s gang had spread terror in Hyderabad surroundings including parts of Nalgonda, Medak, Ranga Reddy and Mahabubnagar districts and hit media headlines several times from late 1980s till recently.

However since the formation of Telangana state and TRS coming to power Nayeem was on the run and the police was actively looking for him as he was also wanted in connection with the murder of TRS leaders.

Rumours were rife since TRS came to power that Nayeem’s days were numbered and the police was hot on his heels.

Horrifying crimes had earned Nayeem such a reputation that any major crime in and around Hyderabad will be attributed to him. But despite their best efforts the police could not prove any charges against him as soon after any such murder or other offence some other person will surrender to the police and confess the crime.

Meanwhile Chandraiah, father of former Maoist Sambashivudu, expressed his happiness over the eliminated of Nayeem. Recallign that Nayeem had killed his two sons and many other people Chandraiah demanded capital punishment to other members of Nayeem gang.

During the CBI investigations in to fake encounter deaths of Sohrabuddin and his wife Kausar Bi by Gujrat police also Nayeem’s name had cropped.

CBI found that it was on the invitation of Nayeem and his sister that Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi had visited Hyderabad to celebrate Eid and the return bus ticket for the couple to Bengaluru was also booked by Nayeem. Investigators believed that Nayeem had spilled the beans to the police about their travel plans leading to their capture by Gujrat police men mid way. Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi were later killed in a farm house in Gujrat in a fake encounter.