A man mistakenly detained by Indian authorities for a 22-year-old murder case in Sydney has been released after spending a month in custody. This case involves the 2003 murder of Shoukat Mohammed, whose body was discovered in a sleeping bag inside a wheelie bin on James Street, Redfern.
The individual wrongly arrested, Mohammed Basheeruddin, shares a similar name with the actual suspect, Basheeruddin Mohammed, who is on New South Wales’ most wanted list. Australian authorities believed they had located Basheeruddin Mohammed in India, leading to the confusion. His defence counsel noted the significant similarity in names was the root of this case of mistaken identity, leaving the innocent individual shocked and distressed upon his arrest.
At the time of the murder, Basheeruddin was only 16 years old, and his passport indicates he has never travelled to Australia. His father’s name differs from that of the wanted suspect, further suggesting the error. The innocent man’s fingerprint data was compared to that of the suspect, and results confirmed no match, further establishing the misunderstanding.
His lawyers indicated that the arrest was based on information shared by the Australian Federal Police through Interpol. When questioned by 9News about the circumstances surrounding the arrest and their rationale for identifying the wrong individual, the Australian Federal Police declined to comment.
Rehmani, the man’s defence counsel, expressed disbelief over how someone could be detained solely based on a name similarity, highlighting the flaws in the arrest process and underscoring that “truth prevails.”
Despite the wrongful arrest, NSW Police continue to investigate Shoukat Mohammed’s cold case, which has remained unsolved for nearly two decades. The police had previously offered a $100,000 reward for credible information related to the investigation almost a decade ago.