Nehru Nagar rapist-murderer jumps parole, held and sent back to jail

Six years after he was sentenced to life imprisonment for kidnapping, raping and murdering three children, Javed Sheikh probably thought he was going to spend this Independence Day celebrating his own ill-gotten freedom.

Also Read: Cable operator gets life for 9-yr-old's rape and murder

File pic of Javed Sheikh (head covered) after his arrest in July 2010

Not only did he somehow manage to score parole from jail - despite cops and the high court warning against it - but he showed no signs of going back. Thanks to efforts by the police, however, an FIR was registered and he was arrested once again within three hours. Ironically, he was sent back to his cell at Nashik Jail just in time for the Independence Day celebrations.

Sheikh was arrested by the police for the horrific serial rape and murder of three little girls in Nehru Nagar in 2010. The case had created a huge furore at the time, especially considering how young the victims were - first a 6-year-old, then a 9-year-old whose body was found on the terrace of the police quarters, and then the third case, where another 9-year-old's body was found a fortnight after her abduction. The body was found in the Vatsalatai Nagar slums after locals complained of the foul smell.

Read Story: How murder convict embarrassed lazy cops, and escaped while on parole

Sheikh was convicted of all three crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment. Sources in the Nehru Nagar police station said they had warned the authorities not to grant him parole as he had committed a heinous crime. They had cautioned that Sheikh was a dangerous criminal who would likely jump parole once he was out of jail. In fact, even the Bombay High Court had rejected his parole application.

However, Sheikh was eventually granted parole, and was released from Nashik Jail on July 4. He was supposed to return to the prison a month later, on August 4, but there was no sign of him. Nashik Jail had already come under fire just two months ago, when it was discovered that another rapist-murderer had jumped parole for months (see box). This time, officials decided not to let the crisis go that far. They informed Byculla jail superintendent Chandramani Indulkar to file a case with the Mumbai police and immediately begin searching for him.

"I was told to file an FIR in the case and inform the local police to initiate search operation against Sheikh," said Indulkar, who did so on Sunday, 10 days after Sheikh missed his reporting date. She registered an FIR against Sheikh under Section 224 (resisting or obstructing apprehension) of the IPC. Since Sheikh is a resident of Qureshi Nagar, Ghulam Rasool Chawl in Kurla east, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Chunabhatti police, the case was filed with them.

Cops began searching for Sheikh immediately, and found him near his home just three hours later. Sheikh claimed that he had taken parole as his mother was not keeping well, but the police suspect that he was on the verge of fleeing.

Cop speak
DIG Rajendra Dhamne said, "I am checking with the concerned Nashik jail officials whether Sheikh had applied for extension of his parole and what is the cause of his delay."

Sheikh was produced in a local court and sent back to Nashik jail last morning.

Inspector Salim Tamboli of Chunabhatti police station said, "He was found in his locality. We have sent him back to Nashik jail."