Lucknow:
A close associate of underworld don Chhota Rajan was arrested from near the Charbagh Railway station in Lucknow on Saturday.
Mohd Aslam was apprehended by a joint team of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) of the Uttar Pradesh Police and Mumbai Police from outside the railway reservation centre along with a mobile phone, rail tickets and cash, police said.
Mohd Aslam alias Sheru alias Kashmiri alias Mukhtarul Haq was accused in over two dozen crimes, including murder, in Mumbai, they said.
During interrogation, Mohd Aslam - born in Hyderabad and later shifted to Mumbai during childhood days where his father had a bicycle shop in Nagpada - said he took to crime by killing Ashraf, sharp shooter of Dawood Ibrahim in 1983 in broad day light at Nagpada chowk to avenge the murder of his bother in 1980 by Dawood's men.
In 1985, Mohd Aslam killed the brother-in-law of Noora Ibrahim, Dawood's brother, in his office in Dogri police station area and later formed his own gang and joined hands with Chhota Rajan, police said.
About two months ago he fled Mumbai after being made accused in two attempt to murder cases, they said, adding since then he was moving about in Delhi, Gujarat, Hyderabad, Ajmer and along the Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh to look for men and place to make base.
He had come to Lucknow a couple of days ago where Chhota Rajan's men were to contact him, the police said.