“I have no idea why the Crime Branch people took away my brother. He has no past record. He is a law-abiding person. The fact that he has been illegally detained for so long makes me fear for his life,” says Karamat Ali (30), referring to his older brother Sayyed Ali (36), who was allegedly detained by officers of Crime Branch Unit 5 on February 26.

Karamat says Sayyed, a resident of the Maulana Azad Nagar colony in Dharavi, runs a pan-beedi shop in the locality and was picked up by five to six men who came in a white Qualis to his house at 2.30 pm that day. “The men were in white shirts, not in uniform, and were brandishing guns when they entered the house. When we asked them the reason, we were told that Sayyed was needed for some inquiry by the Crime Branch Unit 5 office in relation to a robbery that had occurred a few days back in the jurisdiction of the Shahu Nagar police station,” says Karamat. “However, when we contacted the Shahu Nagar police, they said they were not considering Sayyed a suspect in any robbery case.”

Senior Police Inspector Dilip Rupawate of Crime Branch Unit 5 denied the allegation. “We have not detained any person by the name of Sayyed Ali. Any allegation made by his brother against me or my officers is absolutely baseless and false,” Rupawate said.

Karamat, a driver by profession, further alleges that in the wee hours of February 27 at 3.30 am, a few officers claiming to be investigating Sayyed’s possible involvement in a robbery case once again came to their residence, this time demanding a sum of Rs 5,000 for Sayyed’s release. “The officers assured us that Sayyed would be released since his involvement in the robbery was not proved. But they asked for Rs 5,000. I did not have the cash, but I borrowed it from my neighbour and gave it to the officers. But Sayyed has not been released so far and every time we go to the Crime Branch office to ask about him, we are threatened by the officers that if we persist in our visits, they will implicate us as Sayyed’s accomplices in some offence,” he adds.

When Newsline contacted Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria, he said: “It is true that Sayyed Ali had been picked up for inquiries in a robbery case that had taken place in the jurisdiction of the Shahu Nagar police station. After the inquiry, he was handed over to the Shahu Nagar police station a day ago, where he is under arrest.”

Senior Police Inspector Mahadev Gundewadi from the Shahu Nagar police station disagreed. He said: “The Crime Branch has not handed over any person named Sayyed Ali. I have no idea about any person named Sayyed being arrested or questioned in any robbery case recently.”

On Saturday, Karamat filed an application in the Kurla metropolitan magistrate’s court under Section 97 of the Criminal Procedure Code, pertaining to the search for a person who is wrongfully confined.

On being asked about the application, Rupawate confirmed that he had received a copy of the application. “I will appear according to the directions of the magistrate in the court tomorrow,” he said.