Shakeel aide held, was planning to kill author

New Delhi: The Delhi police’s Special Cell has arrested an aide of gangster Chhota Shakeel, who was planning to target Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah in Delhi on Thursday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P.S. Kushwah said Junaid Chaudhary (21),a notorious gangster, was nabbed on the intervening night of June 7 and 8 from Wazirabad road in Northeast Delhi.

The DCP said Chaudhary was planning to target the writer, known for his controversial remarks. Even though Fatah was not in Delhi, the aide was here to carry out a recce, he said. A pistol and four live cartridges were seized from him, the police officer said.

Chaudhary was arrested in June last year along with three others with arms and hawala money sent by Shakeel, but was released on bail within four months. They had been planning to kill Hindu Mahasabha chief Swami Chakrapani at that time. He contacted Shakeel again but after his bail was cancelled he was sent to Tihar. Later, he was again released on bail and once again got in touch with Shakeel. Chaudhary then started carrying out the gangster’s Delhi- based activities.

On Friday, a Delhi court has sent Junaid to three days police custody.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass sent 21-year-old Junaid Chaudhary to the custody of Delhi police’s Special Cell till June 12 after the probe agency said he was required for custodial interrogation.

Reacting on the arrest of Junaid, the Pakistan-born Canadian writer Tarek Fatah told that he does not need any security in the wake of the arrest of a Chhota Shakeel aide, who was paid to kill him. The writer is currently in Canada for his health check- ups but he said that he is not scared.

“These goons do not scare me. I will turn 68 in November and even if they succeed in killing me, the Muslim fight against (radical) Islamism will continue by others,” he said.