In a significant legal development, a specialized MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crimes Act) court delivered its verdict on Friday, finally closing a seven-year-long chapter of legal proceedings. The court acquitted four alleged associates of the infamous Chhota Shakeel gang, who had been accused of orchestrating a plot to murder Iqbal Attarwala, a former associate of the gangster, over financial disputes. The acquittal comes as a result of the court's decision to reject the prosecution's case, primarily based on the withdrawal of confessions by the accused and the lack of substantial evidence linking them to the alleged crime.
Financial Disagreements and Alleged Plot
The case was built upon the premise that Attarwala, facing financial difficulties in 2014, sought help from an absconding individual named Razak Baloch. Baloch reportedly agreed to aid him, with the condition that Attarwala provide a bank account in Venezuela. However, when Attarwala met an intermediary named Zulfikar, he was informed that Zulfikar had no knowledge of Baloch, resulting in Attarwala not receiving the promised assistance.
Later, Attarwala claimed that Baloch, acting on behalf of accused Chhota Shakeel, began demanding a substantial sum of ₹4.5 crore from him. This demand allegedly marked the beginning of a monetary dispute, ultimately leading to the purported conspiracy to eliminate Attarwala. Accused members Michael John Dsouza (aka Raju Pille), Naim Faim Khan, Nitin Gopal Gurav, and Rafiqali Sayyed were subsequently apprehended and charged.
Rejection of Prosecution Case
Throughout the trial, the prosecution relied on the confessional statements of the accused and the recovery of firearms attributed to them. However, the accused later retracted their statements, which played a pivotal role in the court's decision to reject the prosecution's case. The court found insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims against the accused, leading to their acquittal.
Arrest of Fugitive Accused: A 25-Year Manhunt Concludes
In a separate but equally significant development, Mumbai Police successfully apprehended Laik Ahmed Fida Hussain Shaikh, an alleged associate of the fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel. Shaikh was taken into custody in connection with a 1997 murder that had remained unsolved for over 25 years. The victim, Munna Dadhi, a key member of the rival Chhota Rajan gang, was killed during an inter-gang rivalry.
Decades-Old Murder Case
The arrest of Shaikh sheds light on a decades-old murder case that had remained open since 1997. Shaikh and an accomplice were responsible for the fatal shooting of Munna Dadhi during a period of intense inter-gang rivalry. Police officials declared Shaikh an absconder, and his association with the rival Chhota Shakeel gang at the time of the murder has further intensified the case.
A Long-Awaited Capture
After a relentless 25-year-long pursuit, Pydhonie Police officials managed to arrest Shaikh outside Thane railway station. The arrest was made possible by actionable intelligence received from undisclosed sources, which alerted the authorities to his imminent attempt to evade capture. Currently under judicial custody, Shaikh faces ongoing investigation into the decades-old murder case. Police officials suspect that Shaikh had connections with the infamous D-Company, an organized crime syndicate founded and controlled by fugitive gangster and wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.
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