‘Seawoods man may have planned killing’

Gangster Abu Salem is in Taloja Jail

After D-Land Shooting, Cops Keep Watch On Gangsters’ Homes, Jails To Avoid Skirmishes

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: At least four telephone numbers belonging to four suspects involved in Tuesday’s shooting on Pakmodia Street have been put under technical surveillance. One of the numbers belongs to a Seawoods resident, Umed-ur-Rehman (29), who the police suspect to have masterminded the killing of Arif Sayyed alias Bael (45), the bodyguard of underworld don Dawood Ibarhim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar.

Rehman was absconding, the police said. A source said while the police had zeroed in on the conspirators and the people behind it, they did not want to divulge any information fearing that the accused might go underground.

Bael on Tuesday night was standing outside Kaskar’s house, Mahjabeen building at Nagpada, when two men, Bilal Mustafa Ali Sayyed (29) and Indralal Bahadur Khatri (28), pumped
five bullets into him. Kaskar was not present on the spot. The shooters tried to escape, but both were caught. “While arresting them, the police seized their cellphones, which had the records of several mobile and landline numbers,” said a source. After going through the phone numbers and identifying the owners of those numbers, the police suspect Rehman had provided the firearms to the shooters. Rehman had reportedly come to know that Bael and his associate, Haneef Talwar, were planning to bump him off. To preempt their move, Rehman contacted a Nepali national, Bishta, asking him to send him a shooter, the police said. They added that it was Bishta who brought Khatri from Nepal to Mumbai and later left.

However, till the case has been solved, the police do not want to take any chances. They are making every effort to ensure that a bloodbath does not ensue with rival gangs “going for a kill” to mark their presence. While men in khaki are keeping guard outside Kaskar’s residence, another group of personnel are on a round-the-clock vigil near Dawood’s rival Chhota Rajan’s house at Tilak Nagar. A police has also been stationed near Dawood’s lieutenant Chhota Shakeel’s home opposite Aalamgir restaurant near Pakmodia Street.

Jail officials fear that the street war might spill into the prisons as well. Top avoid such clashes, they have conducted a meeting to review the security arrangements there. “Besides stepping up security inside jails, we are keeping watch on all gang members there to avoid any clash among them,” said a senior jail official. Most members of Dawood, Chhota Rajan, Bharat Nepali and Ravi Pujari gangs are lodged in Arthur Road jail, Thane prison and the Taloja jail.

JAILHOUSE ROCK

SEPT 25, 2010: 2 Pandav Putra gang members attack Abu Salem’s associate Hasan Mehendi in the Arthur Road

JULY 24, 2010: D-gang member Mustafa Dossa assaults extradited gangster Abu Salem with a spoon as he suspects that Salem is passing on information to jail authorities

JAN 24, 2008: Asgar Ali Mehandi (25), then an undertrial, is stabbed to death by four inmates in front of a huge crowd in the Arthur Road jail. Mehandi was prime accused in the murder of John D’Souza

DEC 23, 2007: John D’Souza, a robber from the Katta Shekhar gang, is stabbed 14 times with spoons in a fight at the Arthur Road jail

JANUARY 1999:
Dawood’s absconding aide Feroz Konkani, who fled from J J Hospital after killing two policemen on May 4, 1999, assaults three Rajan gang members inside Arthur Road jail

The Times of India, May 22, 2011