Mohammad Tasleem, a life convict in the 1992 Radhika Gymkhana massacre and an accused in the murder of former Rajya Sabha MP Rauf Valiullah, has been arrested by the Ahmedabad Crime Branch from Udaipur, Rajasthan, nearly seven years after he jumped parole and went into hiding. The arrest was confirmed by officials on Sunday, 21 June.

Background: The 1992 Radhika Gymkhana Massacre

The case dates to 1992, when armed assailants stormed the Radhika Gymkhana Club in the Odhav area of Ahmedabad, opening fire with automatic weapons — including AK-47 rifles — targeting rival bootlegger Hansraj Trivedi. The attack claimed nine lives and is widely regarded as one of the earliest recorded instances of assault rifle use in organised gang violence in Gujarat. Tasleem was identified as a key operative and shooter for the Abdul Latif gang during the gang conflict period of the 1990s.

He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment — a sentence that was upheld by the Supreme Court. He was also named as an accused in the murder of Rauf Valiullah, a former Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader, who was reportedly targeted in connection with efforts to expose gang activities linked to the massacre.

How He Evaded Arrest for Seven Years

Tasleem was granted temporary parole in 2019, during which he absconded. According to DCP (Crime Branch) Ajit Rajian, the accused systematically worked to conceal his identity — frequently changing locations, altering his identity, and switching means of communication across multiple states. He relocated to Udaipur, where he married and took up work in property dealing to blend into local life and avoid suspicion.

Notably, this was not his first attempt at building a cover. Police said he had also married during an earlier parole in 2016, in what appeared to be a deliberate effort to establish a domestic facade that would obscure his criminal past.

The Arrest Operation

Acting on specific human and technical intelligence inputs, a Crime Branch team tracked Tasleem to Rajasthan and apprehended him in a coordinated operation in Udaipur. He was then brought back to Ahmedabad under police escort. Further legal procedures are underway to transfer him to Sabarmati Central Jail.

DCP Rajian described the accused as 'a highly dangerous offender' who was acutely aware of police surveillance. 'He knew that the police were very alert; therefore, he had also got married in Udaipur. He tried to lead a normal life there and was engaged in property dealing so that local people would not suspect that he was such a serious criminal,' Rajian said.

Investigation Continues

Police said further investigation is underway to establish Tasleem's recent movements, contacts, and any assistance he may have received during his seven-year period of absconding. The case is expected to draw renewed attention to the parole oversight mechanisms in Gujarat's prison system, given that a Supreme Court-confirmed life convict managed to remain at large for nearly a decade across two parole violations.