D-gang: Split wide open

Mumbai: An internal war between factions of the Dawood Ibrahim's gang has helped the Mumbai Police crackdown on the gang's activity. At the receiving end of police action is the Chhotta Shakeel faction - that's seen a number of its men being picked or killed in encounters.

• May 1: 4 men of Chhota Shakeel gang were arrested.
• May 22: Anil Mhatre, Shakeel gang sharpshooter, killed in an encounter
• May 24: Gulbarg Bhullar, Shakeel gang sharpshooter, deported from Thailand
• April 29: Rashid Malbari, Shakeel gangster, arrested near Karnataka
  

Sources say that this crackdown on the Chhota Shakeel gang, was triggered by the split in the Dawood Ibrahim gang, with the Chhota Shakeel faction falling out of favour.

Sources say Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees pushed for the split as Shakeel grew more successful and more powerful. It's Anees' men who are said to have tipped off informers in Mumbai about the Shakeel gang's whereabouts.

The Dawood gang's interests were divided between these two factions since the 90s. Chhota Shakeel, Dawood's most trusted lieutenant handled his real estate empire in Dubai and Pakistan.

CHHOTA RAJAN CASE FILES

• 2001: Accused of attack on Chhota Rajan
• Accused of murdering members of Pathan gang
• Accused of extortion, murder, attempt to murder
  

Anees was in charge of Dawood's Bollywood interests: Film financing and extortion.

ANEES IBRAHIM CASE FILES

• 1993: Accused in Mumbai Serial Blasts
• 1998: Accused of murdering T-Series baron Gulshan Kumar
•  Accused of extortion, murder, attempt to murder
  

Over time, as police crushed the Bollywood-underworld nexus, Anees started eyeing the gang's real-estate interests.

Sources say that the final break came last month when Dawood's brother Noora died of a heart attack in Karachi. According to them, Anees convinced Dawood that Chhota Shakeel had pushed him to the brink.

But Mumbai police denies any tip-off from the D gang.

Ultimately, a split in the Dawood gang will weaken it and that can only be good news.