The Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch has arrested an alleged aide of gangster Shakeel Babumiyan Sheikh alias Chhota Shakeel. The accused is allegedly an old time and close associate of Shakeel, and is believed to have participated in the planning of the murder of a Mumbai-based businessman, which was prevented by the AEC last month.
On April 20, the AEC had arrested three accused, who were directed by Shakeel to kill a businessman based in the western suburbs. Shakeel had specifically told them to murder the target on April 20, as it was Shakeel’s birthday, and the target was an old associate-turned-foe.
“Based on the interrogation of the three arrested accused, we picked a fourth suspect on Mira Road. He is an old aide of Shakeel and had provided financial and logistical support to the arrested accused,” said a Crime Branch officer.
The accused identified as Syed Rafiq Ali alias Rafiq CD (52) runs a CD and garment shop on Mira Road and stays in the same area.
“He had left the city for a few weeks after the first three accused were arrested. It was his regular practice to go underground every time a Shakeel aide was arrested in Mumbai or nearby areas as he was well known in the gang hierarchy and ran the risk of an arrested accused providing information about him,” the officer added.
