murder was a first for crime family

Sunday’s murder was a first for crime family

The city’s police brass won’t wager on it in public, but in private they admit that Bangalore may not have seen anything like this: A crime family, where a father and his six sons control a thriving criminal syndicate, Mafiosi style. Surprisingly, the Syed family, originally from Shimoga and now operating out of Koodipalaya near Kengeri, were largely invisible to the public eye.

It all changed on Sunday morning, when the youngest of the Syed brothers, Syed Akram, allegedly shot and killed Nanjundappa, a realtor who they suspected to be a police informer. Akram had 36 warrants pending against him when he committed his latest crime. “It is a family affair,” said M I Zamil, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Kengeri.”They are ten males — nine brothers and their father. Of these, the father and six brothers have as many as 150 cases against them across the state.”

The cops say that Nanjudappa and Dhanraj (who were both from Shimoga) were attacked because one of the brothers was arrested following information the duo provided to the police.

CCB sources reveal that most of the time cops don’t dare enter the Syed strongholds, notably certain backstreets in Chandra layout, Vijaynagara and Goripalya. The family was primarily involved in sandalwood smuggling and vehicle theft before they branched into more lucrative, and violent, endeavors.

Now, according to sleuths of the Central Crime Branch, the Syeds are into extortion, blackmail, settling scores on behalf of politicians and realtors and, of course, murder.

The family is backed by a shadowy organization comprising hundreds of youth who swear by them. The family, an underworld source said, entice youth in the guise of providing them ‘employment’. They target youths between 18 and 20 years of age from the poor localities and train them to steal vehicles. They have reportedly stolen more than 2000 vehicles so far. The more promising among them graduate to bigger tasks.

A CCB source revealed that the Syeds get their boys to steal only brand new vehicles. They are so professional that they immediately change the chassis number of the vehicles to obliterate all traces of the theft. Occasionally, they even get the original documents of the stolen vehicles changed right at the RTO office that issued them in the first place! A pointer to how far their reach extends.
 

ROOTS IN SHIMOGA
The family came to Bangalore about a decade ago. Of the nine brothers, two of them reportedly work overseas and one is deceased. The remaining six brothers - Syed Nihal, Syed Mansoor, Syed Rashid, Syed Nasir, Syed Irfan and Syed Akram (who is the youngest at 34) - and their father Syed Rashid run their criminal empire.

There are also rumors about a case against Akram’s mother Safrunnissa. Among the six brothers, Syed Nihal (45) is currently cooling his heels behind bars for more than year now. He was arrested for stealing cars.

The father, who is 70-plus, is no longer as active as he used to be. His sons are the ones in control. Akram himself is on the run after Sunday’s murder, and is believed to have fled to UP. Even if the police nab him, sources say, it would hardly be the end of Akram’s career.

In fact, CCB officials revealed that the Syeds have a lawyer based out of Shimoga who works ONLY for them. Moreover, this lawyer specializes in filing Habeas Corpus (unlawful detention) petitions claiming human rights violations against his clients whenever the police close in on them.

Another sign of how sophisticated this crime family is, is the manner they have gone about indulging in charitable ventures to cover their tracks and build a wider system of patronage. They have built a community hall in Shimoga and regularly give contributions to the poor and needy, a CCB official said.