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Police probing terror angle in Crawford Market accident

Updated on: 04 September,2020 07:10 AM IST  |  Mumbai
Diwakar Sharma | diwakar.sharma@mid-day.com

sources at Pydhonie police station say long criminal history of Dicky, who killed five people on Monday, and his alleged links with the underworld call for a probe into the terrorism angle

Police probing terror angle in Crawford Market accident

The accused, Sameer Ali Ibrahim Sayyed alias Dicky's car that crashed into Cafe Janata

Pydhonie police on Thursday said they are probing all possible angles, including terrorism, in connection with the horrendous accident at Crawford Market. The police are probing the terrorism angle in view of Sameer Ali Ibrahim Sayyed alias Dicky's long criminal history and the alleged links with the underworld, sources said.


He was not drunk


On Monday night, Dicky drove his speeding car through the busy Crawford Market, killing five people and injuring three others. Earlier suspected to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, his medical examination report has come back clean. "But the report regarding consumption of any drug is awaited," an officer said.


A source said, "After seeing the car, one cannot believe that the driver would be safe, but Dicky didn't have even a minor scratch on his body. He said he had folded his legs on his seat to protect himself."

Claim of epilepsy

Dicky also told the police he suffers from epilepsy and that "he had an epilepsy attack that night and lost control over the wheel", said Rajiv Jain, the zonal deputy commissioner of police. He claims to be undergoing treatment for the past five years.

Police have also ruled out the presence of other men inside Dicky's car. Salim Maradiya, the manager of Café Janata where the car finally crashed, said his staff had seen two men running out of the car after it hit the hotel. "He was stuck alone inside the car when our team reached the spot," said another officer. Jain confirmed that police are probing the terrorism angle.

The accused, Sameer Ali Ibrahim Sayyed alias Dicky,
The accused, Sameer Ali Ibrahim Sayyed alias Dicky

Speaking on the terrorism angle, another police officer said, "There were people near Café Janata, so the chances are high that he might have been on a killing spree to terrorise people. Couple of years ago, a man in the US rammed his speeding vehicle into a restaurant and killed innocent people."

'Leaving no stone unturned'

Inspector Kalim Shaikh from Pydhonie police station also said, "We are probing all possible angles, including terrorism. We will leave no stone unturned."

Sources said Dicky had faked his death certificate when police from Jaisalmer had come to Mumbai in 2017 to arrest him in connection with a fake currency case. "Dicky had submitted his fake death certificate and the police team visiting from Rajasthan returned," they added.

"Later, a local resident informed the Rajasthan police about the fraud and the cops immediately rushed to Mumbai and arrested him."

Also Read: Crawford market accident: Relatives shocked by the brutality of the crash

Dicky bought car online

The car that crashed into Cafe Janata on Monday night was sold thrice over the past six months, but none of the buyers transferred the documents in their name. Before Dicky bought it after seeing an ad on Olx, the car had been sold to Taufiq Taz. Jyoti Babariya, a Parel resident and the owner of the car, had sold the car to Taz via Olx, but he never transferred the papers. Taz said he sold the car to his friend Sunny Rajput in June, after which they sold it to Dicky. The traffic rules say all owners are equally responsible for negligence and will be fined R2,000-R4,000.

Shirish Vaktania

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