Mumbai: A special court here on Thursday convicted and sentenced gangster Ejaz Lakdawala to rigorous imprisonment for life in connection with the murder of a businessman about 28 years ago.
Jailed gangster Rajendra Nikalje, alias Chhota Rajan, a co-accused in the case, was acquitted by the court for want of evidence. Special Judge AM Patil held Lakdawala, a former associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, guilty under the Indian Penal Code for murder as well as the Arms Act.
On October 7, 1996, as per the first information report (FIR), two unknown persons fired at businessman Sayyad Farid Makbul Hussain inside his shop on Mohammad Ali Road and fled the spot. Hussain was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Mumbai police, which initially investigated the murder, filed a chargesheet against Lakdawala, while Rajan was shown as a wanted accused. The case was later probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In his statement to the police before his death, Hussain had said that the shooter had taken the name Nana (Rajan). The court relied on the testimonies of three eyewitnesses and informant Sayyed Sohel Maqbul Hussain, brother of the deceased. Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat had argued that the statements of witnesses and the complainant were enough to connect the accused with the crime.
