Self-styled builder shot at Malad

MUMBAI, August 11: The brief lull in shootouts in the city was broken this afternoon, when three unidentified men shot dead a self-styled...

MUMBAI, August 11: The brief lull in shootouts in the city was broken this afternoon, when three unidentified men shot dead a self-styled builder and history sheeter, Ajay Mishra, outside his house at Malad. The victim8217;s 14-year-old son, who was witness to the killing, told police the assailants were in the age group of 22-25 years and that he had seen all the three once earlier too.

A resident of Minali apartment at Linking Road, Malad, 41-year-old Mishra had gone downstairs to see his friends off at around 2.37 pm, when the assailants fired at him from point-blank range. The bullets caught Mishra on his chest and shoulders and as he slumped to the ground, the killers made good their escape. He was rushed to the nearby Evershine Nursing Home by neighbours, where he succumbed to his injuries at 4 pm. Police later recovered three empty cartridges and one live round from the spot.

Evershine Nagar, Malad is a middle-class locality and Mishra was a resident here for over a decade. Though the family used tolive well, nobody in the neighbourhood knew what Mishra8217;s occupation was. If some did, they preferred not to talk about it. For, the six-feet-tall Mishra never spared people for such indiscretion.

A student of Dalmia College, Malad, Mishra never missed a chance to flex his muscles, said a senior police officer who was Mishra8217;s classmate. In fact, during the communal riots of 1992-93, Mishra had aligned with the Shiv Sena hooligans and played an active role in fanning trouble.

Although he claimed to be a builder, there is no evidence of his involvement in construction activities, police claim. But, there are six cases of extortion and assault lodged against him at Goregaon and Malad police stations. Mishra did not have any known source of income and the police allege that he lived off extortion and land-grabbing. While police are sure he was a victim of gangland enmity, they are yet to establish which gang ordered his killing. One theory is that he was punished by Chhota Shakeel for switching loyalties tothe Chhota Rajan gang. Mishra once earlier also was targeted by the underworld. On June 11 last year, three men had fired at Mishra, but he had survived the attempt. The police had arrested three Chhota Rajan men in connection with the attack, including the main accused, Wilson George, a sharpshooter.