Agency that hired guard didn’t even have his complete address

The police, who were frantically searching for Sajjad Moghul, the accused whom they later arrested for the murder of Pallavi Purkhayastha, were shocked to realise that Ahmed Hamid Enterprises, the private security agency that hired Moghul, did not even have his complete permanent address.

The police, who were frantically searching for Sajjad Moghul, the accused whom they later arrested for the murder of Pallavi Purkhayastha, were shocked to realise that Ahmed Hamid Enterprises, the private security agency that hired Moghul, did not even have his complete permanent address.

“The paperwork maintained by the security agency had Moghul’s permanent address as Lal Chowk, Srinagar. It did not have any specific details using which we could have tracked him down,” said Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime). “We are checking to see if we can book AH Enterprises for not adhering to the provisions of the Act.”

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The police have also decided to crack down on agencies in the city that flout the rules laid down under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005.

After Moghul went missing, it was decided that a police team would be sent to his home in Jammu & Kashmir, and officials approached the agency for the address. “Luckily, we arrested Moghul from Mumbai Central station. Had he slipped away from there, we would have had a difficult time catching him,” a crime branch officer said, requesting anonymity.

When HT visited Himalayan Heights and spoke to some of the security guards — also employed with AH Enterprises — they said the agency had not asked them for even basic documentation. “If we said we don’t have the documentation, the agency recruited us after a background check,” a guard said. “Most of us work for Rs5,000 a month and can’t afford a house in the city. From where will we produce documents such as ration cards and PAN card? The agency understands this and allows us in. Also, on several occasions, the agency’s owner gets people from his native place.”

The police had already initiated the process to crack down on security agencies before the murder. Last week, Hemant Nagrale, joint commissioner of police, administration, sent a circular to all assistant commissioners of police, asking them to verify the conduct of all licensed agencies before renewing their licence – it has to be renewed every three years.