Belagavi: Taking serious cognizance of cases of kidnap and killing being carried out by underworld gangster Rashid Malabari's gang, the state police is gearing up to register cases against him under Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA).
After his gang's involvement in several kidnap and killing of contractors, businessmen and builders in the recent times, the state police was already on job to identify his possible hideouts in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Belagavi.
After the arrest of six of his associates in connection with businessman Rohan Redekar's killing, the Belagavi police found that his gang had recently kidnapped local builder Sharief Yaragatti.
After taking Yargatti to an unidentified location, Malabari's gang demanded a ransom and freed him only after his family paid up several lakhs. The gang had threatened his family to pay the remaining amount which it had promised at the earliest.
During interrogation of his associates arrested for Redekar's kidnap and killing, the police found that Malabari had carried out several crimes, including kidnap of several builders and contractors in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Belagavi and other surrounding areas in the last three years.
In the process of committing the crimes, Malabari was able to rope in several youths from Karnataka into his gang who later got involved in kidnapping and killing for ransom. Several youth from Belagavi have been part of his gang.
After the arrest of former Belagavi ZP president Nazir Nadaf for his links with Malabari, the police are trying to get information on how Malabari was able to recruit so many from Karnataka into his gang or who introduced him to all those youths.
During interrogation, Nadaf has admitted to providing shelter to Malabari at his farm house in Saudatti taluk two years ago.
Highly placed sources confirmed with Deccan Chronicle that 10 to 12 youths arrested by Yellapur and Ankola police in connection with the killing of computer hacker Ashish Rajan and businessman from Karwar Ayaz Ahmed belonged to Malabari gang and most of them are from Belagavi.
However, the police are yet to disclose the identity and names of the 12 arrested.
