Karwar: Yellapur police arrested three people from Belagavi on Monday night while they were searching for gangsters Rashid Malbari and Salman from Mumbai in connection with double murder cases in Uttara Kannada district.
According to police, they have arrested Ashfaque Khatib (32), Irfan Momin (31) and Tauhid Qazi (33) from Belagavi and they are now looking for Salman and Rashid Malbari who are said to be close aide of underworld don Chota Shakeel.
It may be recalled that around two months back, two unknown bodies, who were later identified as Ayaz Shaikh (35) of Karwar and Ashish Ranjan (35) of Vasco Goa were found at Yellapur and Kumta respectively under mysterous circumstances. Three police teams were formed to solve the cases.
According to Additional SP of Uttara Kannada K Devraj, Ashish Ranjan who hails from Jharkhand was staying in Vasco after quitting his studies and he was involved in cheating people on the pretext of collecting money for NGO funding. Ranjan along with his friend Ayaz Sheikh, who runs a mobile shop at Kajubhag in Karwar city, had duped many people, stating that they could hack accounts of NGOs and transfer money to an account opened in Russia. Believing the duo, many had given money and lost it.
Ranjan used to approach people saying he is a hacker and he had Rs 300 crore in his bank account in Russia. The duo came in contact with Rashid Malbari and Salman Mumbai and other members who were arrested in Belagavi on Monday night.
The police said hearing the story of Ranjan, Rashid Malbari and his gang planned to kidnap the duo to get the money from the Russian account. On March 6, 2017, Ranjan and Ayaz Sheikh were called to Belagavi by Malbari. On March 7, Rashid Malbari and Salman Mumbai came to Belagavi from Mumbai and forced the duo to transfer Rs 300 crore to their account.
When Malbari found out that the duo were lying, the gang beat them up and strangled them. The gang dumped the body of Ranjan near Sunkasal of Ankola taluk and disposed the body of Ayaz in Arebail Ghat near Yellapur on March 8, 2017.
The police said acting on the murder cases of Ranjan and Ayaz, the investigation team traced mobile records of the duo and that led to the arrest of three gang members of Malbari in Belagavi.
Another accused Muzaffar Sheikh of Belagavi who is involved in the case is already in judicial custody in Belagavi. “We are now searching for Rashid Malbari and Salman Mumbai who are absconding,” the police said.
It may be recalled that the Belagavi police had arrested six gang members of Malbari gang in Belagavi in connection with kidnapping and murder of Rohan Redekar, son of a local businessman.
The police have said the gang members are involved in other murders as well and the investigation is on.