Hyderabad: Mujahid Alam Khan alias Baba and his father Mahaboob Alam Khan, who run well-known educational institutions in Hyderabad have been arrested on charges of plotting the murder of a lawyer in Hyderabad.
Mahaboob was also a Congress leader who has since been suspended from the party.
Five others have also been arrested for the alleged murder of senior advocate Khaja Moizuddin. The 63-year-old lawyer was mowed down by a speeding SUV outside his house in the Masab Tank area of the city. He was rushed to a private hospital, where he succumbed to severe injuries.
“The investigation revealed that long-standing disputes existed between the family of the accused, Mujahid Alam Khan, and the deceased, advocate Khaja Moizuddin, relating to Waqf properties’ management issues at Malakpet and Lakdikapul in Hyderabad. Several civil, criminal and Waqf Tribunal cases have been pending between both groups for many years,” Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said at a press conference.
“The accused persons believed that due to the active involvement of the deceased in various legal proceedings against them, they were suff
ering continuous legal setbacks and humiliation. Bearing a grudge against the deceased, accused Mujahid Alam Khan and Mahmood Alam Khan conspired to eliminate him,” he added.
The alleged contract killing was executed for Rs 15 lakh, the police said.
The Khans allegedly conspired with their close associates, Hassan Ali alias Chaous and Muneer, to execute the plan through Kishan alias Pappu. Muneer and Chaous allegedly handed over cash to Kishan to arrange logistics for the execution of their plan. Kishan allegedly engaged Vinay, who in turn engaged Abhijeeth through Vikram to execute the plan. As part of the conspiracy, Mujahid allegedly sent Rs 2 lakh to Kishan through Chaous for the procurement of a Scorpio vehicle for the execution of the offence.
“Thereafter, from January 2026 onwards, accused Kishan alias Pappu, along with accused Vinay, Abhijeeth alias Nani, Vikram alias Chintu and Deen Dayal conducted recce near the residence of the deceased and also at the places of his regular movement. The accused persons continuously monitored the movements of the deceased to identify the most suitable time and place for execution of the offence,” Sajjanar said.
The accused fled the scene after the crime and attempted to destroy evidence by removing identification marks from the vehicle and dispersing to different locations, police said.
The victim’s son Farhan registered a complaint in which he claimed that Moizuddin was walking towards his vehicle parked in front of their residence when a four-wheeler travelling at high-speed rammed into him.
Kishan was traced to Panipat, Haryana, and was arrested and brought to Hyderabad. It is based on his confession and other material evidence that police arrested the rest of the accused, the police commissioner said.