A close aide of Union Minister Ramdas Athawale for whom the Minister had requested Home Ministry for his security cover over threat perception in June this year is now mysteriously untraceable. Saifi went incommunicado after being asked by Delhi Police to join investigation in connection with the firing incident at his Nihal Vihar farmhouse in which his 50 year-old security guard was injured.
According to police sources, Mohammad Shakeel Saifi, leader of the Republican Party of India (RPI) 's name came to light after three men were arrested and they during investigation alleged that the firing conspiracy was allegedly planned by Saifi himself to get police security cover
“The main attacker is at large and as many as four teams have been tasked to locate him, whose interrogation is important to unravel the entire conspiracy and allegations leveled against Saifi by the three accused persons who have been arrested,” a police official associated with the probe said.
Following this alleged shootout Athawale had written to the Home Minister to recommend security for his party colleague which was accordingly forwarded to Delhi Police.
Sources said that Saifi —the national president of the minority cell of RPI— is untraceable since the three men, identified as Varun Kumar, Nadeem Siddiqui and Vijay alias Lala, were arrested on June 17 of this year, three weeks after the firing took place at main gate of his farmhouse while he was inside with his family members.
The three accused alleged that on the instructions of Saifi they had provided logistical support such as a bike and the firearm to the attacker for executing the firing.
“Their original plan was only to fire at the iron gate of Saifi’s farmhouse. However, the two bullets he fired ricocheted and hit the lower portion of the security guard Hari Nath’s legs. Since the allegations of the three men were serious, police tried contacting Saifi and making him join the probe. However, he was unavailable at home and his family members claimed they were unaware of his whereabouts,” a senior police officer probing the case said on the condition of anonymity.
According to the sources, Saifi’s farmhouse is locked and as the official notice to Saifi seeking his presence in the investigation could not be physically delivered to him, the same was pasted outside his home.
“However, Saifi has yet not turned up to join the probe,” he said.
During the probe it has come to notice that Saifi had been regularly filing applications in the police station and in the offices of other senior police officers, seeking police protection and claiming threat to his life. Just a day after the firing incident, Saifi wrote a letter to the Home Ministry informing about the incident and seeking police protection.
“On the same day, RPI chief Athawale also wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah asking for police security to his party leader Saifi. A fortnight later, the home minister responded to Athawale’s request letter by saying that requisite action will be taken after detailed examination into the matter by Delhi Police,” the copy of letter stated which is in the possession of The Pioneer.