The family has demanded action against the police, claiming foul play in the encounter | (Photo Courtesy: X/@IANS)
In the case of the police encounter of notorious chain snatcher Jaffer Irani, who was killed in Chennai for his alleged involvement in multiple chain snatching incidents, his family has now demanded a police inquiry into what they claim was a fake encounter.
Jaffer Gulam Hussein Irani, 28, was a resident of Ambivli, near Ambivli railway station. He was married ten years ago and is survived by his wife and a nine-year-old daughter. His wife is also two and a half months pregnant. Jaffer’s mother, who suffers from diabetes, fell ill after hearing about her younger son’s death due to a spike in blood sugar levels.
Jaffer’s body was buried in Ambivli on Friday morning under heavy police security after it was handed over to his family members, who brought it from Chennai to Mumbai. The family has demanded action against the police, claiming foul play in the encounter. Security was heightened in the area to prevent any untoward incidents.
DCP Atul Zende from Kalyan stated, “The body was handed over to the family at 2 AM on Friday. Under heavy police security, the final rites took place at 8 AM. After news of the encounter spread, we deployed additional security in the area.”
Jaffer’s father, Gulam Irani, has questioned the circumstances of the encounter and demanded a fair investigation. He stated, “The police should not have acted as executioners. My son was arrested at Chennai airport and interrogated about his vehicle. He was taken to a location along with two accomplices, one of whom is also from Ambivli. The police shot him in retaliation. I believe they deliberately killed my son. He was merely a thief and should have been punished by law, not executed.”
Gulam further alleged that after Jaffer’s arrest, the Chennai police informed the family that he would be produced in court the next day. However, on Wednesday, they received a call stating that Jaffer had been killed in an encounter. He added, “My son is accused of attacking the police, but I doubt he was capable of doing so. I suspect the police fabricated a false story to justify his killing.”
After learning about the encounter on Wednesday, three family members traveled to Chennai on Thursday, where Jaffer’s post-mortem was conducted at a hospital. In the early hours of Friday, his family brought his body to Mumbai by plane.
The family has demanded an impartial investigation into the encounter by the Chennai police.
According to the Kalyan police, over ten chain-snatching cases were registered against Jaffer. He was previously arrested under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) and had spent time in jail before being released on bail eight months ago.
Jaffer and two others reportedly committed six chain-snatching incidents in a single day on Tuesday in Chennai. Based on technical intelligence, the Chennai police caught him at the airport while he was trying to flee to Delhi. The next day, on Wednesday, Jaffer allegedly attacked an inspector and attempted to escape, forcing the police to open fire, killing him on the spot.
