Mumbai: Chhota Shakeel kin, developer booked for extortion

Chhota Shakeel’s brother-in-law Salim Fruit was earlier arrested by the NIA. File pic

The Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai police has booked two associates of Dawood aide Chhota Shakeel and a builder for allegedly threatening a south Mumbai businessman and demanding Rs 5 crore and a 50,000-square feet plot from him.

Police sources said complainant Sohail Arbiwala, a vintage car dealer and a builder, had purchased a five-acre plot at Mira Road for Rs 4 crore from Meenabai Raut, Brahmini Patil and others in 2012. Arbiwala told the police that when he tried to get the plot registered, he found that a developer named Jayesh Shah had also done some monetary transactions with the same owner. When Arbiwala checked with Shah about the deal, the latter allegedly threatened Shah using Shakeel's name.

As per the FIR registered on October 9 with Dongri police, Shakeel's relative Arif Shaikh, alias Arif Bhaijaan, met Arbiwala in 2018 and demanded R5 crore and 50,000 square feet, equivalent to 1.1 acres, for Jayesh Shah. The extortion bid was made in the presence of an agent named Shyam Ojha, Arbiwala told the police. Bhaijan allegedly threatened Arbiwala saying "only a bullet will make him understand".

Also Read: Mumbai cops take custody of Chhota Shakeel kin Salim Fruit held in NIA case

The same FIR also mentioned Shakeel and his brother-in-law Salim Fruit and builder Shah. Fruit was in the custody of the National Investigation Agency, and the Anti-Extortion Cell recently took his custody in another case of extortion. Bhaijaan is also in NIA custody for allegedly plotting terror activities against India. The Anti-Extortion Cell will take Bhaijaan's custody as well as part of its investigation into the fresh extortion case.

More setback to D-gang

The Anti-Extortion Cell probing a case against Fruit and Dawood gang member Riyaz Bhati has arrested five members of a D-gang sleeper cell. Sources said Fruit revealed the details of his network and the sleeper cell that collected the information on their targets and made financial dealings on behalf of the D-gang. The five accused have been identified as Ajay Gosaliya, Feroz Chamda, Sameer Khan, Amjad Redkar, and Papa Pathan. A MCOCA court has remanded them in police custody.

"We have arrested them based on substantial evidence," said Suhas Varke, joint commissioner (crime). According to the Crime Branch, the money extorted in Mumbai was transferred to Dawood through hawala. "We also suspected two of these five accused were in direct touch with Shakeel and were sharing activities of their group members," an officer privy to the investigation said.