Chhota Shakeel’s aide arrested by Mumbai crime branch in ₹9 crore cheating case

A close associate of gangster Chhota Shakeel has been arrested by anti-extortion cell officers of Mumbai crime branch.

A close associate of gangster Chhota Shakeel has been arrested by anti-extortion cell officers of Mumbai crime branch.

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Kulvinder Singh Bains alias Jimmy Bains alias Ajay alias Pappu was wanted in a 2019 case of cheating a western suburbs builder Vijay Thakkar of over ₹9 crore in connection with a Juhu bungalow.

The case was earlier probed by Mumbai economic offenses wing (EOW) but later it got transferred to crime branch given the underworld background of people involved in it.

In this case of cheating and forgery, Bains and another suspect Sohail Bhamla were wanted and the EOW had opened a look out circular (LOC) against the two. Bhamla was detained last year at the Mumbai international airport, but EOW officials had let him go after an enquiry after finding no need of his arrest. However, this didn’t go well with the then commissioner of police Sanjay Barve who had suspended two EOW officers and ordered an inquiry. Few months later, the two officers were reinstated.

“Bains, who is believed to be in contact with Bhamla, had been working for Shakeel since years. Few years ago, he had holed up in Australia for quite some time and on Shakeel’s instructions had gone to Kenya for a ‘operation’. However, an attack was carried out on him by a rival gang. After that he had escaped from Kenya and has been hiding in India. He remained mostly in the northern India states like Punjab and Delhi,” said a crime branch officer requesting anonymity.

Based on specific information AEC officers learnt that Bains had been staying in Mumbai for quite some time. Hence, his location was tracked and on Monday night he was arrested from Andaaz Cafe in Andheri Lokhandwala.

“His interrogation has revealed that he had taken Rs 5 crore from the complainant under the pretext of resolving his matter and cheated him,” said a crime branch official part of the investigation.

He was produced before the court and was remanded in police custody up to October 13.

In the past, Bains has been named in many underworld-related murder and extortion cases. He had even escaped from the police custody in 2000. In 2004 he was arrested by Delhi Police special cell from Pahadganj area of Central Delhi.