Surat: The crime branch of the city police apprehended gangster Shiva Mahalingam, also known as Aftab Pillai, and two of his associates on Sunday. The police also found two pistols and 10 live cartridges in possession of the accused and seized them.

Shiva and his accomplice, Firoz, were allegedly plotting the murder of three individuals after obtaining firearms from the third suspect, identified as Sharukh.

JCP (crime) Raghavendra Vatsa stated, “Our team received information that a person named Shahrukh, alias Sohaib Shaikh, was delivering pistols near Shashtrinagar. We apprehended him with two pistols and 10 cartridges, along with Shiva and Firoz, who had arrived to purchase the firearms. They intended to target three individuals, including Ratlam cafe owner Mudassar Khan, along with Babu Mujahid and Musqin. We are investigating the source of the weapons supplied to Shahrukh.”

Shiva Mahalingam, also known as Aftab Pillai, is wanted in 21 serious criminal cases. He and Firoz, alias Langado Shaikh, were allegedly involved in a robbery at the farmhouse of a prominent industrialist in Ahmedabad in 2012. Additionally, the trio is implicated in the recent heist of 107 kg of silver valued at Rs 70 lakh on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway near Surendranagar. DeshGujarat