JOIN USChhota Shakeel's aide nabbed for 'plotting' to kill religious leaders
The Central Crime Branch (CCB) said it had arrested a close aide of underworld operator Chhota Shakeel, along with two of his henchmen, in Bismillah Nagar near Mico Layout here, after a seven-month-long trail. The suspects, the CCB police claimed, were “plotting” to instigate communal clashes by assassinating religious and political leaders.
Police identified Shakeel’s close aide as Syed Nemath alias Rahman, 28, a resident of Bismillah Nagar, but didn’t name his two associates, saying they are still interrogating them to get more information about their activities and Nemath’s links with the underworld don.
Police said they arrested Nemath “in the nick of time” as he was expecting a “parcel”, containing a gun, for use in his assassination mission. Nemath was acting at the behest of Shakeel, who is said to be in Saudi Arabia. Based on his instructions, Nemath and his men had extorted money from businessmen and jewellers across the country and sent it to Shakeel. In return, they would get their share. They were also “plotting” to instigate communal clashes in various parts of the country. Nemath is an active member of several fundamental groups, a senior police officer insisted.
The officer said, “Around seven months ago, the Gujarat police tipped us off that this gang is threatening a businessman. We started tracking Nemath’s mobile phone. We found that he was talking to a lot of people within the state and the country. Many calls were made from Dubai and the surrounding places, too. We established that he was involved in illegal activities.”
The officer said that Nemath had confessed to “plotting” to instigate communal violence in Bengaluru by assassinating top religious and political leaders in the State. The officer claimed that if the CCB had delayed arresting Nemath, things would have gone “dangerous”.
Nemath came in contact with Shakeel in 2009 while serving a murder sentence for killing a Hindu boy who was having an affair with a Muslim girl. During his stay in the prison, he got to know Rasheed Malabari, who put him in touch with Shakeel. In 2014, he came out on bail and resumed his criminal activities.
Cases have been registered against him at Shivajinagar, Bharathi Nagar and Sampigehalli police stations. In 2014, he was arrested by the Pulakeshinagar police under the Arms Act but he came out on bail again, according to the police.
“The investigation is going on and we suspect that more people were associated with Nemath. The call records of his mobile phone are being checked and more arrests will be made,” said M Chandrashekar, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime).