Mumbai: One arrested for Bandra firing, hunt on for three

MUMBAI: The crime branch of the city police has cracked the case of last week's firing at Gazebo Shopping Centre on Linking Road, Bandra, with the arrest of one person who spilled the beans about his three associates who were allegedly running an extortion racket.
The officials of the crime branch unit 9 on Monday arrested Shariq Shaikh, the person who is believed to have fired one round outside Gazebo on August 11 night in a bid to scare the hawkers who were refusing to pay them the monthly hafta. Shariq will be produced before the court on Tuesday, police said.
Two crime branch teams have gone to northern India to trace the three absconding accused. Police have seized the Activa scooter used in the crime. On August 11, two scooter-borne assailants opened fire outside the shopping centre on the bustling street. Before fleeing, they left a letter written in Hindi that said, "Whoever does business here will be killed." According to police, it was a clear message to those hawkers who were defaulting on hafta payments.
"Shariq has told us about his associates mainly Arbaaz Shaikh, who is the kingpin of the extortion racket. There are several small hawkers engaged in roadside business on the Linking Road, and the gang used to collect money from each of them every day. Those unwilling to pay were not allowed to do business in the area," said an officer. He added the picture will be clear once the main accused Arbaaz is arrested.
Bandra police have slapped two serious charges under the Indian Penal Code sections - attempt to murder and extortion - against the accused.