MUMBAI : Mystery surrounding ace businessman Takyudeen’s murder remains unabated, even as police nab the prime suspect after 25 years from the crime. Ejas Lakdawala, with direct involvement in the shooting, was arrested in Patna on 9 Jan, Thursday by Mumbai police’s Anti-Extortion Cell(AEC).
Investigations into Takyudeen’s murder in 1995 had left several questions unanswered, the main being - Who ordered the kill ? At the time Mumbai was for practical purposes controlled by the underworld. Mumbai police concluded their probe saying, Takyudeen fell prey to rivalry between two gang lords – Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Rajan - a theory that failed find trust from his relatives or south Indian community at large.
Chota Rajan ordered the kill on suspicions that Takyudeen helped Dawood, the cops had said. As if in endorsement, Chota Rajan came up on TV shortly thereafter, to own up the murder. However, communication intercepted by intelligence agency RAW, incriminated Dawood as the mastermind behind Takyudeen’s murder. The officials handed a clip in proof, to the Mumbai police.
The Murderr
On 13 November, 1995 Takyudeen was returning home from his airline office, when a tempo bumped across and armed men got out of the vehicle. They broke his car panes using hammers and shot multiple times before making a hasty retreat. Takyudeen died before he reached the hospital.
Two suspects nabbed in the case were acquitted by the court. In 1998. Ejas, wanted in several other cases, was indicted in Takyudeen murder at a later stage.
Of the three men arrested initially, Rohit Verma was shot dead by Dawood gang in Bangkok. The 2nd suspect Joseph John was killed in police encounter, after his release from prison. The third is serving a life sentence in Vietnam.
On The Run For 21 Years
Ejas Lakdawala evaded law, managing to hide both inside the country and abroad for over two decades. The police finally got a break, when his daughter was nabbed in a separate case at the airport.
Ejas was part of Mumbai gangland since 1987 and worked for Dawood Ibrahim. He left to pair up with Chota Rajan later, when the latter broke away from Dawood’s outfit. Ejas once again called it quits, to form his own gang. Ejas has over 27 cases relating to crimes during the last two decades he remained underground, mostly in Nepal.
Family Relieved
Members of Takyudeen’s family expressed relief over the arrest, saying they waited in prayers over 25 years, to see headway in the case.
Takyudeen was the founder-MD of Mumbai-based East West airlines. In the case, though police arrested four men - Rohit Verma, Joseph John D’souza, Sunl Malgokar and Bandi Pandey - the court had acquitted them all.
