Underworld don Chhota Shakeel's aide arrested

Bangalore, March 30 (IANS) Underworld don Chhota Shakeel's aide Rashid Malabari, and three others, who had planned to assassinate some prominent persons in the country, have been arrested, a top police official said Monday.

Rashid Malabari, for whose arrest Interpol had been notified, was arrested from Kasargod in neighbouring Kerala March 29, Karnataka director general of police Ajay Kumar Singh told reporters in Mangalore, around 350 km from here.

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Kasargod borders Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district. Mangalore is the headquarters of Dakshina Kannada.

Chhota Shakeel is Dawood Ibrahim's lieutenant.

Rashid Malabari alias Double, 38, has a large number of murder and extortion cases against him, the chief of Karnataka police said. He has been evading police for the last 13 years.

The others arrested are Sayaf T.A., 25, said to be a student, Mohammud Hassim, 28, a driver, and Ibrahim alias Sahib Ibrahim, 27, a fisherman.

Singh said a special squad of Western Range Police in close co-ordination with central and state intelligence agencies arrested Rashid Malabari and his accomplices in the early hours of March 29.

'The arrests have foiled a conspiracy to kidnap for ransom a prominent person from Udupi district (neighbouring Dakshina Kannada district) and also assassinate some prominent persons in the country during the run up to the (Lok Sabha) elections,' the police official said.

He said there was credible information about the gang's kidnap and assassination plans.

On receiving information March 26 that some gangsters were coming from Kasargod to Mangalore, a police team intercepted their vehicle near Talapady check post of Dakshina Kannada district. Three people were arrested and a pistol with ammunition and sharp weapons were recovered from the vehicle.

Their interrogation revealed that they were waiting for Rashid Malabari who was also to come from Kasargod, Singh said adding that the police raided his place and picked him up.

Rashid Malabari is said to have come into contact with Chhota Shakeel in 1995 in Dubai. Soon after, he had begun to carry out 'hawala' (illegal money transaction) business, extortion and murders.

Terming Rashid Malabari's arrest as a 'prize catch', Singh announced that the police team that nabbed him will be given a cash award of Rs.200,000.