A special investigation team from Kilambakkam Police Station, Chennai, has reached the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to pursue the next phase of the investigation into the Niamat Ali murder case.
Sources said the visiting officers are in the Islands to record statements from individuals who were in contact with Niamat Ali during his final days. The team is expected to question a number of people in Sri Vijaya Puram, including his close business associates, staff members, and acquaintances who were in communication with him before his disappearance. The exercise is aimed at reconstructing the timeline of events and verifying details gathered during the earlier phase of the investigation in Chennai.
Niamat Ali, a hotelier and businessman from Shadipur in Sri Vijaya Puram, was a co-owner of a hotel enterprise and active in the local business community. He had travelled to Chennai on July 27, 2025, reportedly to purchase construction materials, but went missing the same day. Police investigations indicate that he was allegedly murdered in a car, and his body was later disposed of in a crocodile-infested river in Odisha to conceal evidence.
According to police sources, business associate Muntaqueem Ahmed of Dollygunj, Sri Vijaya Puram, who is also linked to a petrol bunk in Bhatubasti, has been named as the alleged prime conspirator. Investigators believe the motive may relate to a financial and property dispute reportedly involving a ₹2 crore transaction. Four others, Ayan Ahmed, Sufiyan Ahmed, Niyaz Ali, and Krish, have been named as co-accused. The group allegedly conspired to kill Niamat Ali after planning the act over several days.
Police officials said digital evidence, including call records, financial transactions, and vehicle movement data, is being examined to corroborate the statements of the accused. CCTV footage and travel details obtained from Chennai and Odisha are also part of the ongoing analysis. Forensic reports on the vehicle used in the crime and the site where the body was found are awaited.
The Chennai Police, which is leading the investigation, is working in coordination with the Andaman and Nicobar Police to cross-verify testimonies and gather supplementary evidence. The officers are expected to remain in Sri Vijaya Puram for a few days before returning to Chennai to compile a detailed progress report for submission to the court.
Police officials have maintained that the latest phase of the investigation is crucial for establishing whether anyone from the Islands had prior knowledge of the crime or aided the accused in any way. Teams are also reviewing bank transactions and phone data of several individuals based in Port Blair who had ongoing business dealings with both Niamat Ali and Muntaqueem Ahmed. Investigators are understood to be focusing on potential financial transfers and communications that may link back to the period immediately preceding Ali’s disappearance.
Local police sources said that parallel inquiries are being conducted in Chennai and Odisha to trace any additional accomplices or facilitators involved in the disposal of the body and concealment of evidence. The probe has also expanded to include scrutiny of inter-state transport records and vehicle GPS data to confirm the suspected travel route between Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.
The Niamat Ali case, which has spanned multiple states and involved extensive coordination between law enforcement agencies, remains one of the more complex inter-state murder probes in recent months. Police officials said the latest fieldwork in the Islands is intended to ensure that all local links are accounted for before the investigation moves toward the final charge-sheet stage.
