Attack sparks gang war fear; 3 teams formed to crack case

The gunning down of the driver of Iqbal Kaskar, fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, has left the police worried about the possibility of a protracted gang war. HT reports.

The gunning down of the driver of Iqbal Kaskar, fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, has left the police worried about the possibility of a protracted gang war.

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Two assailants, nabbed on Tuesday night after they shot Arif Zaveri, 45, outside Kaskar’s house at Dambarwal Building near JJ Hospital, were remanded in police custody till May 26 by a Mazgaon court considering the case’s “sensitive nature”.

Assistant public prosecutor Satish Patil sought police custody of Indra Khatri (27) and Sayyed Billal Mustafa (29), arguing that the case was sensitive and that the police needed to interrogate them to find out who ordered the hit.

“We are not ruling out the possibility of a gang war since the (initial) perception was that Kaskar was the target,” said Patil.

In the remand application, the police said they are trying to find out whether Khatri or Mustafa were part of any gang. The application stated that the police are also investigating if they had any accomplices and from where they got weapons.

The duo has been booked under Section 302 (murder) and the Arms Act. The police are forming three teams to investigate the shooting.

Senior police inspector, Pydhonie police, SV Pathan said: “The first team will interrogate the accused and get leads. The second team will try to find corroborative evidence on the basis of these leads. The third team will make sure that the paperwork is kept updated.”