First arrest in missing JNU student case: Man held for ransom calls to Najeeb family

“Police have seized five SIM cards from his possession, which appear to be procured using a fake identity,” police sources said.

Following the arrest, Shameen was produced before a local court, which granted transit remand to the Delhi Police.

“On questioning him, police came to know he was involved in the alleged murder of a Class XII student from Lohia Nagar in 2015,” police sources claimed.

Najeeb’s mother Fatima Nafees, who has been leading the movement to press the authorities to look for her son, however, said, “I have no idea about the ransom call; I haven’t received any such call. I learnt about this from the media, and I’m surprised how the media and police have got such information. If my husband had got such a call, he would have told me.” Najeeb’s cousin Sadaf Musharraf said she had no knowledge of the ransom call.

Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Ravindra Yadav, meanwhile, said, “The caller has been brought to the capital on transit remand. More details will be known after he is interrogated. He likely to reach Delhi by Sunday night.”

Najeeb had gone missing on October 15 following a scuffle,

allegedly with members of the ABVP, the night before. The Delhi Police had launched a massive operation to track him down, against the backdrop of student protests over his disappearance. Police had also increased the reward for information on Najeeb from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh.

Last month, sniffer dogs and policemen on horses scanned the campus to find any clues about his disappearance. His roommate was also asked to take a lie detector test.