Mumbai: Locals, peers in shock after NIA arrests

Sharjeel Shaikh, one of the two accused, was arrested from his house in Abdullah Apartment at Borivali-Padagha village. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

Two of the suspects - Sharjeel Shaikh, 35, and Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, 36 - arrested by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) from Borivali-Padgha village in Bhiwandi, were leading a normal family life there with their wife and kids. Their friends and neighbours have been in shock since they got the news of their involvement in terror activities.

According to the NIA, the duo is part of a sleeper cell operating on the instructions of Islamic State (IS) handlers. However, their neighbours, who find it hard to believe that they could be part of a terror outfit or a possible threat to the nation, know them as happy-go-lucky men with whom they cracked jokes over evening tea and snacks.

Sharjeel has been residing in Abdullah Apartment at Borivali-Padgha village for 7-8 months with his wife and small child. He is an electrical engineer working with an Andheri-based company. Zulfikar is a close friend of Sharjeel and also works with a private company. They both resided in Vasind village and moved to Padgha around the same time. Speaking with mid-day, a neighbour of Sharjeel said, "He shifted with his wife and son around 7-8 months ago. We can't believe he has been arrested for being part of terrorist activities. It's really shocking for us."

A friend of Sharjeel said, "He would come down daily to have tea. Zulfikar was a good friend of his and they would roam the area together, regularly meeting outside Abdullah Apartment. We never thought they are into some kind of anti-national activities and are shocked after their arrest." According to him, around 1 pm on Monday, dozens of police personnel arrived along with an NIA team. They raided the houses of Sharjeel and Zulfikar. "Within two hours, Sharjeel who was present at home during the raid was arrested while Zulfikar was taken into custody from south Mumbai."

A local villager told mid-day that Sharjeel and Zulfikar would meet daily around 5-6 pm outside Abdullah Apartment and would talk for a long time. "They were living simple lives with their kids going to school and wives taking care of their homes, while they both had their jobs. They were never found indulging in any criminal activities, nor did they misbehave or have fights with anyone," the villager said, adding that they were both extremely friendly and spoke nicely with other residents of the building, but would not get very involved with the villagers or any activities conducted by them.

According to villagers, the duo had few friends in the area. Their wives too didn't leave their homes very often and would refrain from interacting with neighbours, villagers told mid-day. Senior inspector Anil Sable of Padgha police station said, "Both were living in rented spaces. We checked for their criminal records but didn't find any. We also found that the flat owner made an agreement on a Rs 100 stamp paper but it wasn't registered, making it invalid."