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Dawood aide admits he was hitman in Gulshan murder

In a major breakthrough in the Gulshan Kumar murder case, Calcutta police Tuesday claimed that Abdul Rauf Dawood Merchant, an aide of mafia don Dawood Ibrahim, 'confessed' to having killed the music mughal three years ago.

Rauf, arrested Monday night from public call office near Park Street, confessed that he was contracted as a hitman by Qayuum, a Dubai-based operator of Ibrahim operating from Karachi, to kill Gulshan Kumar, Deputy Commmissioner, Detective Department, Banibrata Bose told newsmen in Calcutta.

Rauf was remanded to police custody till January 20 by Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samir Kumar Neogy, was arrested when he went to purchase a cash card for his cell phone.

An Indian passport, in the name of Bimal Das, on which he travelled to Thailand, with Rauf's photograph affixed to it was seized from him.

His wife Meenaz Abdul Rauf was also arrested from a house in Picnic Garden area Monday night.

In another development in Bombay, the approver in the Gulshan Kumar murder case Mohammed Ali Hussain Shaikh Tuesday took a contradictory stand by withdrawing his petition in which he had urged the trial court to revoke the pardon granted to him by a magistrate.

During interrogation Rauf also confessed that he received Rs 100,000 lakh for killing Kumar.

Jt Commissioner (Crime), Bombay, would arrive Wednesday to take Rauf to Bombay on Thursday.

After the murder, Rauf left the country for Dubai and stayed at a safe house there provided by Qayuum. Rauf was to be introduced to Dawood, as a reward, Bose said.

Rauf confessed that another hitman Anil accompanied him, while 'spotter' Adil pointed out Gulshan, he said.

While Anil is absconding, Adil was arrested by the Bombay police.

Giving details which led to the arrest, Bose said they only came to know that a Bombay-based underworld hitman, wanted in the Gulshan Kumar murder case, had taken shelter in Calcutta.

Acting on a tipoff, the police checked ATM cards in 22 bank branches in Calcutta, when they stumbled upon an account in Rauf's name with a deposit of Rs 10,000 from Chhota Shakeel.

Rauf received help from the owner of a video parlour and a businessman for opening his account. Police interrogated both of them which led to the Rauf's arrest, Bose said.

Rauf said he had also worked in Dubai as an aide of mafia leader Anees Ibrahim, Dawood's brother, and in 1999 he crossed the border into Bangladesh through Basirhat in West Bengal. Later he returned to Karachi.

Since October last year, under instructions from Chhota Shakeel in Karachi, he lay low under the name of Bimal Das at a house in Tiljala area. Rauf had been told that he would be given instructions at the end of this month to return to Bomaby for a 'bada kaam' (major hit) in Bombay, Bose said.

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