Ghatkopar’s lady don booked for conspiring to kill ex-corporator

Such mafias would often construct illegal structures in the localities whenever they got opportunities. In his complaint to the police, Kadam said that the civic body razed the illegal construction on July 4 which he said was being built under the instructions from Shaikh

MUMBAI: The police on Friday booked Karima Sheikh, who has earned the moniker lady don and the Godmother of Ghatkopar, along with her two cronies for conspiring to kill former corporator and Shiv Sena leader Parmeshwar Kadam.

Ghatkopar’s lady don booked for conspiring to kill ex-corporator

The Sena leader has been at loggerheads with the land mafia in slum areas like Kamraj Nagar in Ghatkopar, Kannamwar Nagar in Vikhroli and Netaji Nagar. Such mafias would often construct illegal structures in the localities whenever they got opportunities. In his complaint to the police, Kadam said that the civic body razed the illegal construction on July 4 which he said was being built under the instructions from Shaikh.

“The actual work is being done by her associate Akram Ansari. He has been coming to my office to convey various kinds of threats from Shaikh. On more than one occasion, he said Shaikh could come to my office in a burkha any day, shoot me down and go away without anyone knowing what happened to me,” he said in his statement to the police. He added that he was also wanted by Ansari that his fate would be like another local Congress leader who was slain by Shaikh’s men.

Kadam said that threats of dire consequences for causing huge monetary losses to Shaikh were routed through other people he knew as well. He said he also received a call from a common acquaintance in May in which Shaikh herself spoke to him about her plans made with Ansari about the need to dispose of Kadam as he was being a nuisance to them. On July 4, Kadam made a complaint about some more illegally constructed buildings in Kamraj Nagar which the civic officials then demolished. After this, he said Ansari called him and directly threatened to kill him.

“Based on the statement and call records provided by the complainant, we have booked Shaikh, Ansari and another accomplice of theirs Radhakrishna Harijan on charges of criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation,” said an officer from Pant Nagar police.

Who is the Godmother of Ghatkopar?

Karima Sheikh, formerly known as Karima Mujeeb Shah, has several counts of murder, extortion and illegal weapons trading charges against her. Known as “the Godmother of Ghatkopar,” she is called Aapa (elder sister) and even Mummy by several of her gang members who, according to the police, are troubled, runaway kids she has taken under her wings. They would commit petty crimes like thefts, robberies and chain snatching on her instructions at first and then graduate into committing serious crimes. The police said she started building houses in Kamraj Nagar slum pocket in Ghatkopar East, where she stayed, without any permission from civic authorities which later became her mainstay. Selling or renting these properties brought her a lot of wealth, the police officials added. She was last arrested by the anti-extortion cell of the Mumbai police in 2020 after which she was externed. During the externment period she stayed somewhere in Versova from where she orchestrated a murder in 2021 and has been on the run since then.