The crime branch on Wednesday arrested two shooters from the Chhota Rajan gang and claimed to have solved two cases involving underworld shootings.
The crime branch on Wednesday arrested two shooters from the Chhota Rajan gang and claimed to have solved two cases involving underworld shootings.
Police said the shooters, Dongri resident Mohammad Ali Jaan Ahmed Shaikh, 28, and Vasai resident Pranay Manohar Rane, 35, had opened fire at two close Chhota Shakeel aides, Chote Miyan and Asif Dadhi.
According to the police, on July 29, 2009, three unknown persons had fired at Zahid Ghulam Hasan Mir alias Chote Miyan, nephew Sayyed Arshad Abrar Hussain, driver Abdul Wali Wahab Qureshi and servant Jagbhavan Pal. While Miyan and Hussain were killed, the other had survived with minor injuries. The incident had taken place at Maulana Shaukat Ali Road in Nagpada.
Similarly, on February 13 this year, four unknown persons had sprayed bullets on Dadhi and his friends, Shakeel Modak and Mohammad Qureshi, at Bhendi Bazaar. While Dadhi survived the attack, the other two were killed, police said.
The two shooters were employees of Chhota Rajan and got monthly salary, said assistant inspector Nandkumar Gopale.
Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police, crime, said: “Abbas and Osama, the two accused in Farid Tanasha murder case, gave information about these two shootings. Soon, Shaikh and Rane, who worked for Rajan, were arrested from their houses.”
Roy said Miyan was assassinated a few days after a police informant and known criminal, Irfan Chindi, was murdered in the JJ Marg area. “The shooters had deliberately chosen to bump off Miyan at that time to divert the police investigations. One of the persons involved in Chindi’s murder was a Miyan’s associate. Hence, when Miyan was murdered, our initial line of investigations was that it was a revenge killing,” Roy said.
Additional commissioner Deven Bharti said, “Miyan was involved in illegal gambling and cricket betting. He had suffered losses to the tune of Rs3 crore in second season of IPL in 2008. Those who lost their money started threatening him. Miyan then took protection from Shakeel. It is believed that the aggrieved party then approached Rajan and gave Miyan’s supari. Dadhi also has allegiance with Shakeel gang, and hence he, too, was also on the hit list. The exact motive behind his killing is still unknown.”
“We have received a .38 revolver and are also on the lookout for one more person involved in the shootings,” said inspector Arun Chavan.
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