Matunga exec, friend out of jail; demand investigation to expose cops

After spending nine days behind bars for alleged possession of drugs and a gun two Matunga men returned home to a rousing welcome on Sunday Their families and friends had insisted that it was a frameup allegedly at the behest of a drug peddler who had been stalking the fianceacutee of the main accused They picked holes in the police theory through reports in middayMatunga Labour Camp resident Faqrudin Sayyed Ali and his friend Gopal Mooponrrsquos ordeal started on November 26 after the Shahu Nagar police arrested them for allegedly possessing a box with drugs and a gun They secured bail from a Bandra court on Saturday and were released from a Byculla quarantine centre on Sunday The locals welcomed them with bandbaja and crackers and distributed sweetsMatunga Labour Camp locals celebrate the duorsquos homecomingThe duo has demanded an indepth inquiry to expose the alleged involvement of cops who they said spoiled their careers Sayyed had worked as an executive in a company for 8 years but was terminated following the police casemidday also came across CCTV footage showing one Naeem Qureshi with a box that was purportedly recovered from Sayyedrsquos home Qureshi first handed the box to the paan shop below Sayyedrsquos home before taking it back within 12 minutes saying he would give it to Sayyed later The footage also shows one person with Qureshi who was arrested following middayrsquos reportsFaqrudin Sayyed and Gopal Mooponr after their release on SundaySayyed told midday ldquoOn November 26 I finished work around 9 pm and went home After some time Gopal came to my place We decided to go to Lalbaug to buy track pants Just then a policeman in civil clothes entered and asked if I was Sayyed Suddenly a second cop barged in and the two seized our phones Later another officer reached the place He went inside and screamed lsquobox mil gayardquo He said he had seen the box for the first timeldquoThe officer opened the box that was wrapped in pink paper It had a lock but there was no key They began video recording the socalled raid and broke the lock It had drugs and a gun and bullets We were shocked at what was happeningrdquoA warm welcome being given to the two PicsBipin KokateSayyed said it seemed the cops came looking for the box as they did not search the entire house ldquoThey didnrsquot check the locker inside the cupboard or the kitchen They did not even seize my laptop that I was using for daily work I strongly believe the third officer had come with the box They told me it was found inside the shoe stand I opened it and showed them that it was impossible to fit the box in itrdquoSayyed said he kept countering their claims with logical answers which enraged the cops ldquoThe officer told us not to teach them In just 78 minutes of the raid they broke the lock and showed us what was inside the box and took us to Shahu Nagar policerdquoThe duo with friends at Matunga Labour CampSadik Sayyedrsquos brother said he met the duo the next day and was told that the police had recovered 485 grams of MD ldquoMy brother was working in a good firm and earned Rs 70000 a month He doesnrsquot even smoke and allows only close friends to enter his home The drugs and gun allegations are false The police also pressured Gopal to become a witnessrdquolsquoI was tortured to become a witness but I didnrsquot agreersquoMooponr said the police forced him to become a witness and arrested him when he refused ldquoI knew my friend Sayyed was innocent The officer said they were tracking the IP address of Sayyedrsquos laptop They hit me on the leg with a belt like I was a criminal We even contemplated committing suicide inside the lockup The police also told me that Sayyed had confessed to the crime and I had no option but to become a witnessrdquoHe continued ldquoAt the police station I found a similar box they use to keep cash We demand an investigation against the four officers including PSI Sandip Sawant Their WhatsApp messages and call records must be probed Their chats and calls with the accused Qureshi should be checked We strongly suspect they framed usrdquoSayyed said they are relieved that they have got the bail but it will be a hard long journey ldquoOur name reputation and career are spoiled We are still in the police record The police have the power to release us but they didnrsquot We didnrsquot eat anything for three days We need justice and action against the officers including PSI SawantrdquolsquoCops destroyed CCTV footagersquoTheir common friend Diana Fernando said they suspect someone had tampered with the CCTV cameras installed at a temple outside Sayyedrsquos home ldquoIt is impossible to believe their claim that suddenly the CCTV cameras went blank after November 14 The secretary of the temple said the cameras were working on November 16 We suspect they destroyed the footagerdquoA second friend Parmesh Maitri said ldquoWe have come across another CCTV installed on the same lane The footage shows how Sayyed and Mooponr were framed in this case It showed Qureshi carrying a bag seen moving in the same lane five to six timesrdquoAnother friend Vinayak Hubbaji said ldquoWe will submit the CCTV footage to the police commissioner and DCP with a request to investigate this matter The main accused Nicolas Pandian alias Nikki is still not arrestedrdquoSayyedrsquos fiancee and friends suspect Pandian orchestrated the episode as he wants break the Sayyedrsquos engagementMain accused arrested CopPranaya Ashok DCP of Zone 5 ldquoOur officers found the drugs and a gun with bullets in Sayyedrsquos home They are not behind this incident The main accused Naeem Qureshi has been arrested He was an informer for the cyber department but recently he had started giving us tips We acted on his information Now both the men have been found innocentrdquoInvestigation officer Sandip Sawant said they followed all the procedure before arresting the duo ldquoWe are also checking footage from all possible CCTV cameras to track the courier boy who had got the parcel We are also looking for him If they got MD and a desi katta via courier then why did they keep them at home They should have informed the police We are checking if they have any criminal records We are also trying to find out from where they got the MD and gun The investigation is still on We didnrsquot frame themrdquoAdvocate Nitin Satpute who represented the duo said ldquoMy clients were falsely framed Police allegedly recovered around R60 lakh rupees MD and a gun and bullet from them Itrsquos a huge amount of MD which can only be supplied by a supplier not a businessman and hardworking people They donrsquot have any links with any drug supplier The courier boy is behind this crimerdquoNov 26Day the duo was arrested