The murder case of Andaman-based businessman Niyamat Ali has taken a chilling turn, with investigators revealing that family pressure and financial disputes were at the heart of the crime.
According to police sources, the prime accused Muntaqeem Ahmed, son of Munir Ahmed and a resident of Dollygunj, Sri Vijaya Puram, allegedly killed Niyamat after fearing backlash from his own family for losing ₹2 crore, part of which reportedly came from his mother’s retirement corpus, in a hotel venture that had gone sour.
Investigators told The Wave Andaman that Niyamat and Muntaqeem had entered into a partnership to develop and operate a hotel in Sri Vijaya Puram, with Niyamat providing the land and Muntaqeem investing ₹2 crore. The hotel was up and running, but Muntaqeem allegedly showed little interest in day-to-day operations, leading to growing friction between the two.
Sources said that Niyamat, frustrated by his partner’s lack of involvement, asked Muntaqeem to exit the joint venture. After discussions, both sides agreed to part ways amicably, with Niyamat committing to return the full ₹2 crore investment to settle the matter.
According to investigators, Niyamat paid ₹1.2 crore to Muntaqeem but Muntaqeem did not disclose these payments to his family. As a result, several of his relatives believed that Niyamat had refused to return the money. One of these relatives, who was also related to Niyamat, later confronted him over the dues. Niyamat then showed bank proof of the ₹1.2 crore payment and assured that the remaining ₹80 lakh would be settled soon.
Shocked by the revelation, the relative confronted Muntaqeem, who denied receiving any payment. Police believe this confrontation became the turning point that pushed Muntaqeem to plot Niyamat’s murder. Investigators say he believed that making Niyamat “disappear” would help him hide the misuse of money from his family and make it appear that Niyamat had absconded with the funds.
The accused, Muntaqeem Ahmed, Ayan Ahmed, and Sufiyan Ahmed, were arrested by Kilambakkam Police on October 3 and have since been remanded to 90 days of judicial custody by the Alandur District Court. Two others, Niyas Ali and Krish, remain absconding.
During interrogation, the trio allegedly confessed to strangling Niyamat inside a Baleno car owned by Sufiyan Ahmed before transporting his body to Odisha, where it was dumped in a river to destroy evidence.
Police say the murder was meticulously planned, Niyamat was lured under the pretext of a meeting, intoxicated with alcohol, and then killed. His body was concealed in the vehicle and taken out of Chennai that same night.
However, it remains unclear how and why the two SRM University students, Ayan Ahmed and Sufiyan Ahmed, became involved in the crime. Police sources say the two were close friends of Muntaqeem and often received expensive gifts and financial help from him. Investigators suspect that Muntaqeem used his influence and wealth to draw them into the plan, possibly by promising money and other favours
Importantly, police sources say that the testimony of a woman believed to be close to the prime accused has played a key role in piecing together the chain of events and establishing the involvement of the accused in the crime. Her statement is understood to have helped investigators trace both the timeline and the financial motive behind the murder.
The Kilambakkam Police, leading the probe, have pieced together the sequence of events through digital surveillance, financial-trail tracking, travel records, and witness testimonies, and are now investigating whether additional individuals assisted in planning or concealing the crime.
