Mumbai: Cops foil murder plot of builder

/ TNN / Mar 16, 2022, 00:40 IST

MUMBAI: With the arrest of gangster Chhota Rajan's aide Arif Arafat Lokhandwala with two sophisticated weapons and 28 rounds of ammunition, the Mumbai crime branch claimed to have foiled a major contract killing of a builder from Mira Road. 
What has baffled the police is that Lokhandwala was directly in touch with Dawood aide and 1993 serial bomb blast accused Javed Chikna based in Pakistan. 
The Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) of the city crime branch have intimated the builder and the Thane police is believed to have provided him with the police security. (TOI has upheld the name of the builder for security reasons). 
On a specific tip off, the AEC on Saturday arrested Arif Arafat Lokhandwala, a notorious criminal with two 7.65 pistols, extra magazines and 28 live rounds. 
Police have booked him under the arms act and are trying to figure out the motive behind procuring a country made revolver and was remanded to police custody. 
During his search police have found a chit containing the name of the builder, his picture, description, two registration numbers of two high-end cars with the colour description and office as well his residence address. 
Shockingly, police have also found that the accused was talking to Javed Chikna over WhatsApp and other app-based calls and was in constant touch with him over WhatsApp chats. 
"As of now, we have booked him for arms act but will soon invoke the sections criminal conspiracy and attempt to murder after collecting evidence," said an official. 
Police have shown Javed Chikna as an absconding accused in the case