The city police has arrested one more active member of an gangster, who was allegedly involved in a conspiracy to murder a Mumbai-based journalist working for a newspaper, taking the total number of arrests in the case so far to four.
Abdul Karim Shaikh (37), a history-sheeter who has a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) case registered against him, was arrested today from suburban Santa Cruz and produced before a court which remanded him to police custody until September 12, Mumbai Police Crime Branch Property Cell's senior inspector, Nandkumar Gopale said.
Allegedly, overseas-based Shaikh arranged a four-wheeler for the three arrested persons, who had planned to kill the journalist last Saturday and escape in the vehicle, he said.
On September 6, the crime branch arrested Madanchand Sonkar (27), Ashutosh Verma (22), and Rambahadur Chauhan (27) from the jurisdiction of the Marine Drive police station after receiving a tip-off.
According to crime branch officials, Sonkar, Verma and Chauhan were directly in touch with the Shaikh and had clear instructions to murder the journalist as soon as possible.
A preliminary probe revealed that the trio had received around Rs 1.25 lakh for the job.
The journalist was sought to be killed, after a recent news report referring to the gangster.
