Mumbai, Oct 24 (MD): Crime Branch officials arrested a goon-turned-politician from Pune for planning to kill the uncle of a BJP MLA from Maval with the help of gangster Chhota Shakeel’s men. Officials recovered a country-made pistol, four cartridges and a motorcycle from the accused.

API Nitin Patil from Property Cell, Crime Branch, received a tip-off that Shakeel’s aide Mehmood Hussein Abdul Hussein Aziz Shaikh, who has three murder cases registered against him in Mumbai, was planning to kill Nau Shelar, BJP MLA Sanjay Bhegade alias Bala’s uncle, with the help of his four accomplices.

“They got the supari to kill the MLA’s relative, as he was giving them a hard time in business while supplying labourers to industries and in land dealings,” said Dilip Phulpagre, assistant police inspector of the Mumbai Crime Branch.

Commenting on the case, Dhananjay Kulkarni, spokesperson for Mumbai Police, said, “A few of our officers got a tip-off about the plot, following which they raided a bungalow at Akurdi on Dehu Road, Pune, on Thursday and arrested the three accused.”

Police arrested Shaikh, his accomplices Ganesh Bhilare and Congress leader Amin Mehboob Shaikh, who is also the former vice-president of the Dehu Road Cantonment Board. Shaikh has around 23 cases against him and was with the NCP before he migrated to the Congress party.

“Our officers did an excellent job. Had they not nabbed the accused in time, Chhota Shakeel’s aide would have killed Shelar,” said Sadanand Date, joint commissioner of police, Mumbai Crime Branch.