Mumbai: The special MCOCA court on Monday acquitted underworld don Chhota Rajan in the case of firing outside Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother Iqbal Kaskar residing on Pakmodia Street in May 2011. In the incident, Karkar’s driver was killed.

As per the prosecution case, on May 17, 2011, two gunmen fired outside Kaskar’s house, on Pakmodia Street in south Mumbai, killing Kaskar’s bodyguard-cum-driver Arif Sayyed. Kaskar was not at home when the incident took place.

Sayyed would sit at the doorstep of Dambarwalla building, which is home to Kaskar, allegedly to scan visitors before entering the building. On the day of the incident also he was sitting there, when two shooters came on a bike, shot him five times with a .45 bore Smith & Wesson revolver.

Following the shoot-out, both the shooters, Sayyed Bilal Mustafa Ali from Mumbra and Indra Bahadur Khatri from Nepal, were caught by local residents and handed over to the police. Meanwhile, Sayyed was taken to hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

The investigation had revealed that Rajan was behind the conspiracy and the funds for the attack were provided by Ravi Mallesh Bora alias DK Rao. It was claimed that the firearms were supplied to the two by one Abdul Rashad. The police had booked a total seven accused which included the two shooters, Bora and Rashad. Rajan, however, was shown as a wanted accused.

The special MCOCA court had only convicted two shooters – Bilal and Khatri along with Rashad. The court had however acquitted other accused including Rao and also refused to accept the prosecution case.

The special Judge Anil Pansare, had in his verdict said, “The prosecution has come up with a categorical case that the accused belongs to Chhota Rajan’s gang. They have eliminated members of rival gangs. However, evidence on record does not show any link between Chhota Rajan and the accused before the court.”

“There is nothing on record as to how the elimination of Arif would be helpful to Chhota Rajan to gain supremacy over rival gangs. Thus, it is difficult to believe that the offence under question is organised crime,” the court had said in its verdict given in 2015 acquitting key members of Rajan’s gang.