Dawood Ibrahim's aide in UAE plotted Sambhal riots, say UP police

BAREILLY: UP Police's Special Investigation Team (SIT) in Sambhal submitted chargesheets in six cases related to the violence, totalling over 4,400 pages, on Thursday. Officials privy to the probe said their investigation revealed that Shariq Satha, a native of Sambhal who is believed to be in the UAE, orchestrated the violence that resulted in the deaths of five men and injuries to several others, including 29 police personnel.
Satha, who previously ran a car theft gang that stole over 300 vehicles from Delhi-NCR, is linked to Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan's ISI, police said, adding that he fled the country using a fake passport.
Circle officer Kuldeep Kumar and additional district government counsel Hari Om Prakash submitted the chargesheets in the court of chief judicial magistrate Archana Singh. The chargesheets name 79 accused, all currently in jail, under various sections of the BNS.
Sambhal SP Krishan Kumar Bishnoi told TOI, "Satha's involvement came to light during the investigation, and based on evidence recovered by us, we can say that he orchestrated the violence. As of now, the chargesheets are submitted in the court against 79 people, including members of Satha's gang. This is the first lot of chargesheets, and we will file a supplementary chargesheet as the investigation progresses."
The police probe uncovered "unusual money transfers to account holders in Sambhal" and "foreign-made cartridges" at the violence sites. According to officers, Satha's associates were responsible for the gunfire that killed four of the five victims. No FIR was lodged for the fifth death.
Asked about the FIR in which the Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq and local MLA Iqbal Mahmood's son Suhail Iqbal were named, a senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told TOI, "Satha has good political connections in Sambhal and neighbouring districts. We are scanning the role of all the suspects named in the FIR, and a chargesheet will be submitted in that case after the investigation is completed."
The clashes occurred during a court-ordered Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) inspection of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid. Five people lost their lives, while 29 cops and several others sustained injuries. Police registered seven FIRs, while the families of the deceased lodged four more against unidentified individuals. Another FIR was filed by an injured person against unidentified suspects of Turkic descent.
SIT is investigating all 12 FIRs. Officers also recovered "bullets manufactured in Pakistan and the US", indicating possible external involvement in the violence. Among the accused are 37 named individuals, including Barq and Iqbal. Additionally, 3,750 unidentified persons have been accused in the case.