8 gangsters remanded

MUMBAI, JULY 15: Eight gangsters, including three from Chhota Shakeel gang who were allegely involved in the firing on former mayor Milind Vaidya and nabbed over a fortnight, were remanded to police custody today.

The members of Chhota Shakeel gang who were trapped near Almas hotel at J J Junction a fortnight ago have been identified as Sayyed Nisar Munaf, Abdul Hasan Bande and Nasiruddin Khan. Questioning of the trio had led to the arrest of five more identified as Surendra Lakhanlal Saha, Naresh Shirodkar, Naeem Amir, Gopal Shetty and Farooq Chiparangari.

The arrested gangsters were involved in 16 cases including five shootouts: the firing on former mayor Milind Vaidya in March this year which resulted in the killing of three bystanders, firing at Sayed Saudagar in November 1997, firing at Mehmood Shaikh at Mahim in January 1998, firing on hotelier Manjit Singh of Karisma Bar at Dadar and Hanif Bearing in March this year. The Shakeel gangsters have confessed that their attempt to murder were made atthe instance of Chhota Shakeel.