Builder's kin arrested in Mumbai

MUMBAI: A team of six policemen and three months of trail led to the arrest of builder Mahesh Bijlani and his brother Suresh Bijlani’s driver Anil D Souza from a hideout in Bhopal on late Tuesday night. Duo are key accused in the murder Navi Mumbai builder Sunil Lahoria.
Mahesh Bijlani and driver D souza who were produce before the local court for transit remand will reach Mumbai on Thursday.Duo were on run since February 16, 2013 when builder Lahoria was shot dead outside his office in sector 28 in Vashi in Navi Mumbai.
Two shooters-Venkat Shettiar and Wajjid Qureshi were nabbed from the spot and their interrogations led to the arrest of former encounter specialist Emmanual Ambolik. During probe it further transpired that Suresh Bijlani and architect Anuragh Garg had hatched the plot to kill Lahoria fearing latter would blow the lit of their FSI scam.
Mahesh, the younger brother of Suresh and driver D Souza is the 11 and 12th accused to be arrested in the case. Mahesh and D Souza were caught staying in a flat in Lake View apartment, Shamla hill area in Bhopal. Joint commissioner of police (Crime) Sadanand Date said the arrest was result of human intelligence and hard work for more than three months. Police had kept few relatives of D’souza under surveillance. D souza used often convey messages to his family members through this relative. During interrogations the relative spill the bean and led police to Bhopal.
Police said Mahesh and D souza’s arrest assumes significance as duo are key to the murder. Police said Mahesh knew the criminal conspiracy of the murder and he carried message of Ambolik to Suresh Bijlani after Lahoria was shot dead. And D souza had allegedly ferried the contract money to Ambolik and interestingly it was D souza’s cell phone which his employer Suresh Bijlani used to talk to Ambolik and Garg and even former police commissioner AK Sharma. Lahoria’s son has made serious allegations on Sharma and the court has asked the police to probe into.
On February 16, two men, posing as private security guards, opened fire at Lahoria at point-blank range and slashed him with a chopper as the builder walked towards his office in Vashi's sector 28.