Mumbai: Notorious gangster and Brother-in-law of fugitive underworld don Chhota Shakeel, Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit, was today arrested in a 12-year-old extortion case, crime branch officials said.
Fruit, against whom a non-bailable warrant (NBW) was issued in the case, was arrested from Nagpada in south Mumbai by the Anti Extortion Cell (AEC) sleuths of crime branch.
According to police, in 2004, Shakeel’s hirelings had threatened a central Mumbai-based doctor and demanded Rs 25 lakh extortion. After negotiations, the amount was settled for Rs 10 lakh.
The crime branch had then arrested two persons when they came to collect the money. Later, two more persons were held in the same case. At that time, Fruit was a fugitive. He was deported to India in 2007 from Dubai and jailed.
“In 2010, Fruit was released on bail and ever since he was in Mumbai. However, the gangster could be arrested only today,” a source from the police department said.
An AEC officer, requesting anonymity, said, “Two months back, the cell launched a drive, in which they prepared a list of all the wanted, absconders and the criminals having NBW issued against them from 1980s.”
So far, 26 criminals, whose name was in the list, have been held under the drive, the officer added.
One more accused, Altaf Aalam alias Vicky, is wanted in the extortion case, police said.
Fruit was produced in a local court today, which sent him in police custody till March 8.
According to police, Salim, the blue-eyed boy of Chhota Shakeel, used to export fruits to Dubai before joining the gang.