By IANS,
Mangalore : Naushad Kashim, the lawyer of Rashid Malbari, an aide of underworld don Chhota Shakeel was shot dead here by unidentified gunmen, the police said Friday. A hunt has been launched to arrest the killers.
“We have formed four teams to nab the two suspected assailants of Kashim and investigate the murder to ascertain whether there are links between Malbari’s arrest and the internecine gang wars in the underworld,” Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Gopal Hosur told IANS here.
Kashim, 35, was shot dead Thursday night in the heart of the coastal city. Though Kashim ran for his life after the two assailants opened fire, he succumbed to gun-shot injuries due to excessive bleeding. The police also recovered six bullets from the crime spot on Dosa Camp Road in Attavar locality.
“We have some clues and are working on initial leads to identify the accused. The probe teams have fanned out to hunt down the culprits. We are also keeping a tab on phone/mobile lines, as Shakeel’s another alleged aide (Ravi Pujari) has claimed responsibility for Kashim’s killing in calls to local news channels,” Hosur pointed out.
Kashim represented Malbari in a local court early Thursday when the latter was sent to judicial custody after his police remand ended.
Malbari alias Double, 38, a sharp-shooter of Chhota Shakeel, was arrested by the Karnataka police March 29 from Kasargode in neighbouring Kerala on a tip-off that he was plotting to eliminate some VIPs, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Varun Gandhi.
Malbari, who is said to have come into contact with Shakeel in 1995 in Dubai, is also facing a number of murder and extortion cases.
Chhota Shakeel is Dawood Ibrahim’s lieutenant.