Chhota Shakeel aide Bilal Shamsi, died of a heart attack in Arthur Road jail

Fifty-one-year old Bilal Shamsi, a history-sheeter who was arrested by Mumbai Crime branch in January for allegedly attempting to extort Rs 5 crore from a Dadar-based builder on behalf of gangster Chhota Shakeel, died of a heart attack in Arthur Road jail on Wednesday morning.

Shamsi was arrested along with three others in the extortion case under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

He was accused of making three calls to the wife of the builder and demanding the money along with the otheraccused in the case.

According to the police, he died in the morning when Shamsi started feeling pain in his chest and fell unconscious.

Sources from the jail said that Shamsi was rushed to JJ Marg Hospital, where he breathed his last.

His family members staying in Bandra were informed and his body was handed over to them after a postmortem.

"He died due to natural causes and we have made an entry about the incident," said Ahmad Pathan, senior inspector of NM Joshi Marg police station.