Renegade Moist Nayeemuddin is a much wanted person by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in solving Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, where Nayeem is said to have played a crucial role. The CBI is pestering the AP police to nab him at the earliest. There seems to be a deeper mission in CBI wanting custody of Nayeem, as it could also provide leads to the killing of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya, say the sources.

Though it is not clearly known why the CBI is looking out for Nayeem, sources in Ahmedabad said this could be a move by the investigating agency to uncover the Haren Pandya murder in March 2003, in which 12 persons, including Asghar Ali from AP, were acquitted on August 29, 2011. The CBI investigations into the fake encounters as well as the Pandya murder have given some leads into the killing of the former minister, a bitter critic of chief minister Narendra Modi, in what was widely seen as a riot reprisal, even though Pandya's family has consistently suspected a political conspiracy.

Nayeem is a fugitive since long and CBI's request to the AP police comes with the belief that the former ultra enjoyed the protection of some senior state police officers. After a recent Supreme Court observation, the CBI is under pressure to investigate the AP angle to the case. Nayeem's name popped up last fortnight following the murder of gangster Patolla Goverdhan Reddy in the heart of the city.

After arresting five persons in Patolla murder case, Hyderabad police commissioner A K Khan said that Nayeem was behind the murder. Director General of Police (DGP) Dinesh Reddy also publicly announced two weeks ago that sleuths of Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), an elite anti-Naxal intelligence wing of the state police, have been asked to form a special team to nab Nayeem, who is wanted in several cases across the country. Neither the DGP nor the City police commissioner are very sure about the whereabouts of Nayeem. In fact, after his 'escape' from the city criminal courts in 2007, Nayeem has never been seen. This 'escape', claim knowledgeable sources, was facilitated by his friends in high places.