Hyderabad: A 63-year-old senior advocate, Khaja Moizuddin, succumbed to injuries after being critically injured in a suspected murder at Nampally in Hyderabad on Saturday, May 23.
According to police, the incident occurred when Moizuddin stepped out of his residence and was about to enter the driver’s seat of his car. At that moment, an SUV allegedly came at high speed and rammed into him.
A video clip of the incident, which has surfaced online, shows the vehicle hitting Moizuddin with great force, throwing him several feet into the air before he landed on the road. He suffered grievous injuries and was immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Despite medical efforts, Moizuddin later succumbed to his injuries.
Police launch probe
Following the incident, the Hyderabad Police reached the spot and launched an investigation. Police teams also visited the hospital and began collecting evidence.
Speaking to reporters, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rakshitha Krishna Murthy said that the earlier attempt to murder charges in the case have been altered to murder after Moizuddin’s death.
She added that 4-5 teams have been formed to probe the case and are currently reviewing CCTV footage.
Meanwhile, family members and colleagues of the advocate suspect the incident may have been a pre-planned attack rather than an accident. Based on these allegations, police are probing the case from all possible angles, including the possibility of murder.
The police are trying to locate the vehicle involved in the accident.
Son alleges murder
Speaking to the media, Moizuddin’s son trained his guns on two men — Mujahid Alam Khan and Mahbub Alam Khan — whom he described as land grabbers and Waqf encroachers, and against whom his father had been fighting cases.
“Anwar-ul-Uloom and Mumtaz Yar ud Daula in Malakpet have been built on Waqf land. Madrasa-e-Aiza and Nawab Shah Alam Khan Engineering College are all Waqf institutions. The duo grabbed all three of these properties,” he said.
“They formed a private trust, with family members managing it. They grabbed the Waqf property by manipulating the Waqf Board and removing records from it. My father was fighting against this privatisation because public property must be used for public benefit,” he added.
He said Saturday’s accident was the sixth attack on Moizuddin, one that proved fatal. “Earlier, there were five attacks. My father was attacked at his office in Gunfoundry. Three years ago, he was attacked outside a mosque,” he said.
The son also claimed his father had received repeated threats. “They threatened him to move abroad, drop the cases, and offered him money. They said, ‘Or else you will see what we can do.'”
He added that the intimidation had extended to him personally. “Six months ago, Mujahid Alam Khan came to my office in Himayatnagar and threatened me, saying it was the last warning and that if something happened in the future, I should not come complaining to him.”
Holding the two men directly responsible, he said: “They killed my father while he was trying to protect Waqf property. If anything happens to me or my family, Mujahid Alam Khan and Mahbub Alam Khan will be responsible.”
Telangana High Court Advocates Association demands SIT to probe case
Meanwhile, the Telangana High Court Advocates Association has urged the Director General of Police to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the attack.
In a letter to the DGP, the association condemned the murder of the senior advocate and expressed its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
President of the Association, S Surender Reddy, requested the DGP to conduct a thorough and expeditious Investigation into the matter, trace the culprits at the earliest, and ensure that they are apprehended. “The legal fraternity expects prompt and effective action so that justice is delivered and confidence in the rule of law is upheld,” the statement read.
