'Deported Shakeel aide involved in murder of garments chain owner'

Mumbai Crime Branch is probing the alleged role of 48-year-old Anjum Adam Fajlani, one of the ten gangsters deported from Dubai, in the murder of the owner of a well-known South Mumbai garments chain around eight years ago.

Four unidentified gunmen had shot dead Bharat Shah, owner of the Roopam Store, outside a PCO near Crawford market on October 8, 1998. The police had suspected that Dawood gang's top gangster Chotta Shakeel had ordered Shah's killing after he failed paying up his extortion demand; the assailants had pumped in 12 bullets—with their 9 mm pistol, which was later recovered—into Shah as he exited a PCO near a mosque after having allegedly made an overseas call.  

According to sources in the Crime Branch (CB), Fajlani had allegedly made many extortion calls on behalf of Shakeel to Shah. Fajlani's interrogations could hold the key to establishing as to who gave the orders for Shah's killing.    

Fajlani is also allegedly involved in the case involving nexus between Bollywood and the underworld.

"Fajlani was involved in Bharat Shah's killing. At that time, Shakeel had cast a spell of terror in the city with his extortion threats to builders and businessmen," said a crime branch officer, who did not want to be named, as he is not authorised to talk to the media.

One of the shooters of Shah, Ismail Yusuf Sheikh (21), was arrested by Unit-I of the Crime Branch two weeks after his murder. He was allegedly linked to the Chhota Shakeel gang.

Sheikh had revealed to his interrogators that they had kept watch on Shah's movements days before he got eliminated; the shooters had also kept in touch with "a Shakeel associate who would call Shah for extortion and later planned his killing".  

On the night of October 8, 1998, Sheikh and other shooters had followed Shah as he left his office on Abdul Rehman Street. They shot dead Shah from close range on Sheikh Memon Street at a spot not far away from the police headquarters.