Main accused in Byculla firing held from Kolkata after two-week hunt
Shaikh is accused of orchestrating the May 12 attack on Sameer Asif Khan, son of Mohammed Asif Khan alias “Asif Dadhi”, who was earlier linked to underworld don Chhota Shakeel. Khan sustained a bullet injury to his right thigh but survived the attack.
Two weeks after the firing incident near Dockyard Road railway station in Byculla, the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested the alleged main accused, Saif Saidul Shaikh, 33, from Kolkata.
Shaikh is accused of orchestrating the May 12 attack on Sameer Asif Khan, son of Mohammed Asif Khan alias “Asif Dadhi”, who was earlier linked to underworld don Chhota Shakeel. Khan sustained a bullet injury to his right thigh but survived the attack.
Police said Shaikh was arrested from his native place in Bishnupur, Kolkata, after a Crime Branch team tracked him using technical evidence. After the firing, Shaikh had allegedly fled first to Aurangabad and later to Kolkata to evade arrest.
The police team led by inspector Nilesh More and assistant police inspector Shyam Bhise brought him to Mumbai on Tuesday morning. He is expected to be produced before a court later in the day.
Investigators said Shaikh’s name surfaced during the probe based on the victim’s statement, following which he was named in the FIR. Police claimed that Shaikh and Sameer Khan knew each other and had been involved in a financial dispute for over a year. “Saif had allegedly threatened Sameer in the past. He is also allegedly connected to a local politician and wanted to establish his hold in the area,” a Crime Branch officer said.
Soon after the shooting, police had arrested two other accused — Sadiq Khan, 30, a security guard originally from Madhya Pradesh, and Zeeshan Anwar Shaikh, 33, both residents of Byculla. The duo was arrested from Mahim Dargah and is currently in judicial custody.
According to police, the firing took place around 6.05 pm on May 12 when Sameer Khan had gone to meet a hotelier friend near Dockyard Road railway station.
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Investigators said Khan had left his residence near Sir JJ Hospital around 5.45 pm on his motorcycle and noticed two men following him. As soon as he stopped near his friend’s office, one of the accused allegedly pulled out a pistol and fired a single round at him.
Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region.
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Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More
