`Gangster planned attack on SRK, Farah homes too'

`Gangster planned attack on SRK, Farah homes too'





Cops Say Men Held For Murder Bid On Bhatt Had Also Recceed Duo's Bandra Premises 

 

After the city crime branch foiled a fugitive gangster’s attempt to bump off filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and his family members, it has now transpired that he had also asked his men to open fire at Shah Rukh Khan’s bungalow and office, and director Farah Khan’s home to scare them. Three of the 13 men who have been arrested for allegedly aiding and abetting the fugitive gangster, reportedly told the interrogators that they had recceed Shah Rukh’s bungalow and office and Farah’s residence, all located in Bandra, but had to put the plan on the back burner as the police had become vigilant after the attack on producer Karim Morani’s Juhu bungalow in August.
“The gangster had asked his men to open fire on these film personalities to make a bigger impact on the industry.
While Bhatt did not get an extortion call, the gangster wanted to target Shah Rukh and Farah to scare them so that his aide, Sunil Raniyal alias Bittu Singh, who lives in New Jersey would get the overseas rights of the film, Happy New Year, which was then yet to release,” said a police officer. Raniyal’s role in the case has now become more clear as one of the arrested accused—Mohammed Merchant—is the younger brother of Obaid Merchant alias Radiowala, who also lives in New Jersey. Obaid is a common friend of the fugitive gangster and Raniyal. The gangster would reportedly send messages to Obaid, who would then pass them on to his brother, said the officer.
“The brothers’ original surname was Radiowala, but they later changed it to Merchant. We will now issue a red corner notice against Obaid,” he added.
On Monday, the anti-motor vehicle theft unit of the crime branch arrested 13 men, including Ishrat Shaikh, Mohammed Khan, Azim Khan, Ashfaq Sayyed, Shanuwaz Shaikh, Feroz Sayyed, Shabbir Shaikh, Rahim Khan and Merchant, for allegedly planning to kill Bhatt. One of the accused had befriended a security guard at the Khar building that houses Bhatt’s office to get details of his movements. The police found three country-made weapons and five phones from a house near Bhatt’s office. Additional commissioner of police (crime) KNN Prasanna said on Tuesday they found one more weapon from the house.
During interrogations, it transpired that some of the men were also involved in the firing on Morani’s bungalow. The gangster had threatened Morani to hand over the overseas rights of Happy New Year, but when he refused, the gangster ordered the firing to scare him.
Assistant commissioner of police Sunil Deshmukh, who is investigating the case, will also probe as to which hawala channels did the gangster send Rs 11 lakh to the arrested men for the job.
The crime branch plans to invoke the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act to ensure that the 13 men do not get bail for at least 180 days.