04 November,2026 08:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Police team with the arrested accused (kneeling)
Firoz Mohammad Suleman Sheikh managed to evade the law for 17 years by shifting cities, switching jobs, and changing phone numbers. However, his professional nickname 'Fitter' followed him until the Mulund Police finally apprehended him at a Titwala bar on November 3.
Firoz, now 31, is wanted for the June 20, 2009 murder of Isam Masqur, 35, at a construction site near Sarojini Naidu Road in Mulund West. Masqur was bludgeoned with an iron hammer while sleeping under a blanket following an alleged workplace dispute. Firoz's brother Afroz was arrested in 2009, but Firoz went underground.
The accused, Firoz Mohammad Suleman Sheikh. Pics/By Special Arrangement
The renewed investigation began with a Mulund Police team examining old case papers. API Vinod Labhade and PSI Swapnil Mahajan revisited a Sonapur address in Bihar where the brother was originally caught. Operating discreetly through local informers to avoid alerting the suspect, the police successfully obtained Firoz's current mobile number.
Police learnt that after going underground for a couple of years following the murder, Firoz had moved between Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Bihar before eventually settling in Titwala. The team analysed his call detail records (CDRs) to identify people he was frequently in touch with.
Police identified three mobile numbers. One belonged to his supervisor, a Dombivli resident. Police questioned him and used the information gathered from him, along with inputs from other contacts, to narrow down Firoz's whereabouts.
Firoz had altered his appearance since 2009, when he was thinner, and sported a French-cut beard. However, because he continued working as a grill contractor, locals in Titwala still recognised him by âFitter'. This professional identity helped police connect final leads to the bar where he was arrested.
Conducted under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Santosh Ghatekar, the investigation was led by API Vinod Labhade and PSI Swapnil Mahajan alongside the Mulund Police detection team, playing key roles in tracing and arresting the accused.
Firoz, who had married a local Marathi woman while on the run, was produced before a court and remanded to police custody. The investigating team will now interrogate him to establish his exact role in the murder, map his movements during his 17 years as an absconder.
Swapnil Mahajan, PSI
âThe biggest challenge was tracing someone after 17 years, when most of the people who knew him had lost contact with him. We had to patiently rebuild his network and verify every lead, as even a small mistake could have alerted him.'
Vinod Labhade, API
âTracing him was not easy. The area has a sizable migrant labour population, with workers moving between jobs and locations. We therefore approached people who could have known the accused and made it clear that we were looking for him.'
