In a significant breakthrough, Bhopal police have arrested notorious gangster Zubair Maulana after a six-month-long search. Maulana, wanted in multiple criminal cases, was apprehended along with three of his associates during a joint operation by the city’s Mangalwara, Teela Jamalpura, Hanumanganj police stations, and the Crime Branch.
The arrest follows a violent incident on May 6, when Maulana and 10–12 accomplices targeted the residence of a man named Saif in Mangalwara, mistaking him for rival Saad Khan. They fired a shot at him with the intent to kill. Later that morning, the gang fired shots in the air outside the residence of Saad Khan’s brother-in-law in Indira Nagar, Teela Jamalpura, to create terror.
Maulana, a resident of Aishbagh, has over 53 criminal cases registered against him across various police stations. He was booked under preventive action at least 26 times and had been absconding since October in connection with an attempt to murder case in Gairatganj, Raisen. A reward of ₹30,000 was declared for his capture—₹10,000 each by the IG of Hoshangabad Range and the deputy commissioners of police from Zones 1 and 3 in Bhopal.
To evade arrest, Maulana altered his appearance by shaving his head and trimming his beard. He was eventually tracked down to a farmhouse in Parwalia, where a police team conducted a late-night raid. During an attempt to flee, he sustained a leg fracture and received initial treatment before being discharged.
Alongside Maulana, police arrested Shanni Malik, nephew of notorious criminal Mukhtar Malik, as well as Faisal Khan and Zaheer Khan. The police recovered a country-made pistol, four live cartridges, and three knives from the accused.
To send a strong message of zero tolerance toward gang-related activities, police conducted a public parade of Maulana and his associates in the Qazi Camp area, after the arrests.
