Sorry, I got the wrong guys killed: Abu Salem

Though Bakshi was called for questioning to the crime branch on Sunday afternoon, he complained of uneasiness and got himself admitted to the J J Hospital. Investigators are confident that he holds the key to the identity of killers.

Meanwhile, as investigations progress more facts are coming to light, unfolding a plot involving money, muscle and a just one mistake in identifying the target.

Sheikh, who was arrested on Sunday, revealed during interrogation that hehad helped Bakshi in pressurising several of their common rivals with Abu Salem’s help. And for this Bakshi owed a hefty sum to Abu Salem. But since a lot of his money was struck in projects which had no buyers, he instead decided to give away some flats to the gangster in a Co-operative Housing Society at Juhu to Salem. The deal, however, could could not be finalised because Mukesh Mehta, Bakshi’s partner in his construction business, would not agree to let go of the flats. Mehta had even filed a case against Bakshi in this connection.

Sheikh told police that he and Bakshi had held several meetings with Mehta trying to persuade him to withdraw the case, but the latter was adamant. In the meantime Abu Salem was putting pressure on the two for his money.

Desperate, Mehta hatched a plot to kill Mehta. He met the two assailants near Metro Cinema on December 27-28 and gave them details of Mehta’s appearance. He, in fact, pointed out Mehta to the killers in a crowd. But on Thursday the hitmen killed twobystanders mistaking one of them to be Mehta and other his friend.