Will cousin spill the beans on mastermind?

ATS has arrested the kin of conspirator Ubed-ur-Rehman, who planned the shootout on Iqbal Kaskar; other gangs also hunting for the new kid on the block

The real culprits behind the Pakmodia street shootout could still be on the run. After the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested four people, including Adnan Sayed, the cousin brother of Ubed-ur-Rehman, a police team has been fanned across to nab more hands behind the attack. The three others, identified as Ahmed, Sajid and Qayyum have been arrested for abetting the crime, including providing weapons to the shootout in which Iqbal Kaskar, brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim escaped and his driver Arif was killed. Investigations have revealed that Ubed is emerging as a new force in the Mumbai underworld to stake claim to the money pie. Underworld insiders say that Ubed, the new kid on the block, a resident of Nagpada, is climbing the ladder rapidly to claim a lion's share in the underworld business. His meteoric rise could mean that he could disturb the current set pattern prevalent in the underworld.u00a0


Soft target? Iqbal Kaskar

Currently, the underworld is clearly divided in geography, with the D-gang calling the shots in South Mumbai, Chhota Rajan continuing his stronghold in the northern suburbs and Ravi Pujari spreading his claws in the western suburbs. The latest 'feather in his cap' is masterminding and executing the shootout at Kaskar's driver last week. "He had a fall out with Arif, the deceased, and plotted the shootout to the last detail," said a senior police official, on condition of anonymity.

Young blood
According to sources, Ubed is young and raring to go and is calling the shots in big killings in the underworld.
According to police officials, Ubed also allegedly mastermind the killings of Zahidbhai alias Chhote Mian and Irfan Chindi and shot at Asif Dadi last year. An ambitious Ubed may soon float his own gang. The underworld pie already has too many claimants, and Ubed's entry could be seen as a threat to the current dons. Ubed, by targeting key aides of Dawood and his partner Chhota Shakeel could soon earn the wrath of his enemies and may have to fear for his life. "Dawood never forgives an attempt made on his family member. Sooner or later, he will take revenge," said a source.

Creating enemies
Santosh Shetty, who is also trying to find his feet in the underworld may also want to bump off Ubed as he is turning into a force to reckon with. By claiming to bump off Bharat Nepali, who was also becoming a formidable enemy, Shetty could soon turn his attention towards Ubed. Ubed, who was earlier attached to the Rajan gang, may also earn the wrath of his mentor as investigations have revealed that he carried out the Kaskar shootout on his own. However, the Mumbai crime branch says that Ubed still is a raw hand and will take some time to mature into a full-fledged don. "His involvement is coming to fore in three most sensational shootouts in Mumbai in the last two years. However, he is not a big fish in the league yet," said Devendra Bharti, additional commissioner of police, Mumbai crime branch. Police investigations show the motive of the latest shootout as a dispute between Abu Bakr, who also doubled as Kaskar's driver, and Ubed, who police believe paid Rs 50,000 each to Bilal and Khatri for the killing.