BANGALORE, July 3: Tuesday's gangster shoot-out in Bangalore may have signalled the entry of international and Mumbai underworld figures into the garden city. Worried police officers say that Bangalore is now likely to be the bone of contention between Dubai-based don Dawood Ibrahim and Mumbai don Chota Rajan.Muthappa Rai, who police believe is a member of the Dubai don's gang, is suspected to have planned Tuesday's shoot-out at Banashankari, which claimed the life of gangster Seena alias Srinivasa. According to sources, Rai had planned to retain his top position in the underworld operations here by letting loose a reign of terror among rivals with grandstand killings, Tuesday's incident being just one example. Police say that Rai's gang had planned three simultaneous strikes to kill his rivals Sridhar, Tanveer and their main lieutenants.Tanveer was to come to the Mayo Hall court here on Tuesday, and Bacchan, who was also injured in the Banashankari incident, was proceeding to the same court to attend another case. Rai's gang had planned the operation in such a way that Sridhar, Bacchan and Tanveer could be eliminated in one stroke, it is learnt. However, the operation got botched up, when Seena who had grown a beard akin to Sridhar, was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity.An indication of the growing underworld operations in Bangalore, according to police sources, is the fact that Chota Rajan visited the city a fortnight ago.Rai, who belongs to Dakshina Kannada, and is now based in Dubai, is said to have taken stock of the ground he lost after he had left Bangalore a couple of years ago. Rai had fled the city two years back after killing a rival, Amar Alva.According to police sources, the matter doesn't end with Rai. Mumbai's underworld don, Chota Rajan, now based in Singapore, appears to have realised that Dawood who is losing clout in Mumbai, has shifted his attention to Bangalore. Rajan's gang members are now reported to be trying to eliminate Rai's gang members based here. Rajan is reported to have selected Bangalore as he and his gang members are sure that Dawood will one day return to Bangalore where his henchmen have bought sizable property. Dawood was allegedly present in the city some years ago along with a noted Hindi film actress Mandakini. But before the police could knock at the door, he and the film actress is said to have fled the city and police could lay their hands only on her brother.
