Why has this ghetto town, some 50 km north of Mumbai has become a haven to a slew of suspected terror operatives and scores of illegal African migrants? mid-day investigate
Mumbra has emerged as a favourite hideout of suspected terror operatives
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The real tragedy of Mumbra doesn't lie in its haphazardly burgeoning urban sprawl, but in its relaxed tenancy rules and the illegalities they birth. For over a year, the ghetto town, some 50 km north of Mumbai, has been on the radar of counter-terrorism agencies — four youths linked to terror outfits lived in Mumbra. Add to the mix illegal African migrants, and the result is a safe haven for criminals.
In over a year, counter-terror agencies have found four persons with ties to Mumbra —Mudabbir Shaikh (alleged ISIS recruiter arrested from Amrut Nagar in January 2016), Tabrez Tambe (who allegedly fled the country to join the ISIS in December last year), Farhan Shaikh (who spent his childhood in Dost building near Kausa and was deported from Dubai for alleged terror links in the last week of January this year), and Umar Nazim alias Nazim Shamshad Ahmed (26) (alleged terror outfit recruit arrested from Rashid compound by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and the Maharashtra Police on Thursday). All four stayed in rented flats; Mudabbir later bought the apartment he stayed in. His father-in-law was a real estate agent but had no inkling of Shaikh's terror connections.
Umar Nazim, the terror suspect arrested on Thursday
No background check
Sources say it's the absence of stringent checks on leave and licence agreements that has turned Mumbra — once a farmland — into a new hideout for criminals. A number of buildings in the area are allegedly illegal, prompting most of the landlords skip background checks of their potential tenants. A fat rent in hand silences even the most rigorous, the sources say.
Thanks to the relaxed rules, Mumbra's neighbouring locality, Diva, has become a favourite with illegal migrants from African countries. The common refrain in the Mudabbir, Tabrez and Nazim cases is how little the neighbours knew of them. The suspected terror operatives were recluses and usually kept to themselves, neighbours tell mid-day.
Large groups of Muslims shifted to Mumbra after the 1993 blasts
Ravindra Tayade, senior inspector of Mumbra police station says the repeated focus on the area's illegalities have prompted the police to convene meetings with real estate agents and housing society members. "We tell them that police verification is mandatory. We have held over five such meetings in Mumbra and Diva, cautioning people against giving renting their houses to strangers."
Mumbra's disrepute has made the police even put up banners in Diva, asking residents not to rent flats to illegal Nigerian nationals. "We have registered more than 15 cases against such flats owners in Diva. People should come keep an eye out for anti-social elements," says Tayade.
Today, 80 per cent of the population comprises Muslims. File pics
Crooked agents
Sayyed Mohammed Hussain, chairman of Mumbra-Kausa Real Estate Agent Association which has 270 members, however, insists that residents have been following guidelines. "Every new member is told that police verification is mandatory."
Hussain alleges that crooked real estate agents turned Mumbra, and its abutting localities Shil-Daighar and Kausa, into a hub of anti-social activities. "Real estate sector is free for all. Anyone can become an agent and hand over flats on rent without the necessary checks. At the end of it, Mumbra and its people have to suffer the tarnished reputation. Unauthorised real estate agents should be banned."
No background checks
A local activist alleges that real estate agents get away without background checks by bribing police officials. "The police should joins hands with people in keeping a watch on neighbours. A vigilante group should be formed to keep tabs," he suggests. Residents allege that they have been facing harassment since Mumbra came into the terror spotlight.
Parambir Singh, Commissioner of Police, Thane, assured a crackdown on unauthorised agents. "If they are found guilty of skipping due process, we booked them under relevant charges." The Mumbra police have booked flat owners under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code in the last few years.
Total population: 10 lakh
No. of terror cases: 4
Approx no. of illegal migrants: 50,000
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