Daijiworld Media Network - Belagavi (SP)
Belagavi, May 15: The police have reliably learnt that notorious underworld element and close follower of Chota Shakeel, Rashid Malbari, was hiding in this city till sometime back, contrary to the notion that he had gone into hiding after his release from jail at Dubai. As per information, police personnel from Karwar have taken into custody over ten persons from the city, all of whom are said to be associcated with Rashid Malbari, and are questioning them.
Malbari had set his base here with the fake name, Mamu. He had spread his tentacles and created his own gang of criminals. Although some visual media claimed that Rashid was initially helped by some influential locals to get himself entrenched here, the police officials are yet to confirm this information.
File Photo
Rohan Redekar, son of a businessman from Laxminagara here dealing in tamarind, had been abducted on February 18, 2015. His mortal remains were found from Chorla ghat later. Belagavi city crime branch police had rounded up a few persons in connection with the crime.
Another person, Ashish Ranjan, had been murdered at a spot falling under Yallapur police station limits. Police from Uttara Kannada district, who continued with the investigation, took 11 persons from the city into custody on April 28. The police are trying to reach to the bottom of the entire operations attributed to the criminal gang linked to Malbari, a sharp shooter and man with intelligent mind who planned and executed several plans for the underworld.
It is said that Malbari had befriended Bachche Khan, a sworn enemy of Dawood Ibrahim gang, when both of them were together inside a jail. Later, Malbari was shifted to other jails. In course of time, on some issue, differences arose between these two criminals. Malbari, who secured bail and came out of prison, remained elusive. For sometime, he reportedly stayed in the city and indulged in criminal activities during his stay, it is said.
The fourth district and sessions court at Mangaluru had awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 10,000 fine to Malbari and his close confidante, Muhammed Hashim, through a judgement delivered on August 29, 2013. After holding both of them guilty of illegally possessing arms, the court had told them to remain behind the bars for one more year in case of failure to pay fine of Rs 10,000 each. The police personnel all along had believed that Malbari (46), who was granted bail by a court three years back, had escaped to a foreign country, as his whereabouts could not be traced in India. Warrant, lookout notice a red corner notice had been issued against him.
Rashid Malbari had been arrested on March 30, 2009 along with his associates by the then DCIB inspector, Dr H N Venkatsh Prasanna, after finding them in possession of arms illegally. At the time the court sentenced him, Malbari had completed 53 months behind the bars and was to complete remaining seven months of remaining term of his sentence. However, he was facing various other cases like the murder of manager of Kanchan Textiles at Bunder Mangaluru, deriding the police personnel of Barke, murder attempt at Goregaon Mumbai, murder case at Nagapad, and some cases of murder attempt, murder, threat etc registered in Vikroli station Mumbai. He was also accused of having links with underworld fugitives, Dawood Ibrahim, Chota Shakeel, Tiger Memon, Abu Salem etc. He was also accused of threatening rich persons and extortion of money from them.
Malbari, who had once created ruckus inside Mangaluru jail, was shifted to Bengaluru prison. Although he was planned to be shifted to Hindalga jail here, it was not considered favourably as that prison housed some of his bitter enemies. When in Bengaluru jail, he moved bail application, and jumped bail once he got out.
Rashid Malbari was accused of murder attempt on Chhota Rajan at Bangkok in 2000, and murder of Rajan's accomplice, Balu Dongre. Although he was accused in murder of John and Prashant, who were Rajan's followers, he had been acquitted of this charge in 2012. Rashid, who was from Kannangar, Hejanady in Udupi district, had been jailed for 21 days when he was in foreign country for working long back. His elder brother, Ismail, who was imprisoned relating to murder case, had asked Rashid to contact Chota Shakeel and seek help from him for his release. During this period, Rashid came in contact with, and became a trusted lieutenant of Shakeel, it is said.