Mumbai: A special Maharashta Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court on Wednesday found all 11 accused arrested in connection with the 2010 murder of gangster Farid Tanasha guilty.
Tanasha, a resident of Tilak Nagar, was gunned down by two assailants on June 2, 2010. The duo had barged into his house minutes after he reached home, and shot him dead in front of his wife Reshma. A case was registered with the Tilak Nagar police, and the case was taken over by the Unit VI of the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.
The Crime Branch arrested 11 people, identified as Zafar Khan, Saquib Khan, Raviprakash Singh, Pankaj Singh, Randhir Singh, Rafique Sheikh, Dattatray Bhakre, Ravindra Varekar, Vishwanath Shetty, Rajendra Chavan and Dinesh Bhandari. Gangsters Bharat Nepali and Vijay Shetty, who allegedly ordered the hit, have been named as wanted accused.
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On Wednesday, MCOCA judge S.M. Bhosale convicted Zafar, Saquib, Raviprakash, Pankaj, Randhir and Rafique for committing murder through an organised crime syndicate, sentencing them to life imprisonment. The other accused were convicted for abetment and preparatory acts, and sentenced to 10-year rigorous imprisonment.
Crime Branch officers said Tanasha, an alleged aide of gangster Rajendra Nikhalje alias Chhota Rajan, was trying to interfere in a redevelopment project in Tilak Nagar, which led to his murder.
“The project was undertaken by Bhakare, who, unhappy with Tanasha’s interference, approached Nepali. Nepali, along with Shetty, had by the time broken off from Rajan and had their own gang running from overseas. Nepali and Shetty instructed Zafar to end Tanasha’s nuisance once and for all, and Zafar started putting together a team for the hit,” a Crime Branch officer said.
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The officer said Rafiq kept a watch on Tanasha and relayed information about his movements to Zafar. On the day of the murder, Raviprakash and Pankaj positioned themselves near Tanasha’s residence, and informed Zafar as soon as Tanasha reached home. Saquib and Randhir, who were waiting nearby, hurried to the Tanasha residence and fired several rounds at him, after which all the accused fled.