Lucknow, Apr 4 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) has arrested a sharpshooter, Irfan Sonu, in connection with the murder of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) functionary, Jameel Ahmad, who was shot dead in Thane district of Maharashtra on November 23 last year.

Additional Director General (ADG), Special Task Force (STF), Amitabh Yash, said that Irfan has confessed that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator, Najibullah, had hired him to eliminate Ahmad.

Both Najibullah and Osama are on the run.

Irfan, who originally hails from Gorakhpur, was arrested on Saturday from a place near Kathauta Jheel in Gomti Nagar in Lucknow.

The STF ADG said, "We are still tracing other people involved in the murder. Irfan has been handed over to a crime branch team of Thane police."

Narrating the sequence of events of November 2020, inspector, STF, Satya Prakash, who arrested Irfan, said, "On the day of the incident, Irfan and Osama reached a mosque in the Rabodi area of Thane. As soon as Jameel stepped out of the mosque and started his motorcycle, Osama and Irfan followed him. A short while later, Irfan, who was riding the pillion, shot Jameel."

"With the help of CCTV footage, Thane police identified the motorcycle used in the crime and arrested its owner Shahid. After committing the murder, Irfan stayed in Gorakhpur and other parts of UP and also in Nepal. He was arrested while he was planning to flee after taking money from an aide in Lucknow," Satya Prakash said.

During interrogation, Irfan said he had used a country-made pistol to shoot Jameel and gave the weapon to Osama after committing the crime.

According to STF, Jameel was an RTI activist and had filed some cases against Najibullah in connection with a property in Thane.