New Delhi: Three people were arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill Uttar Pradesh Shia Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi at the behest of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, the police said on Friday.
The three accused — Salim Ahmed Ansari (42), Abrar (36) years and Arif (38) — were arrested from UP's Bulandshahr by the Delhi police special cell, they said. A Delhi court later in the day sent the three men to five days police custody.
In January, Mr Rizvi had written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath in which he claimed that madrassas bred terrorists and demanded that the Islamic institutions should be shut.
In the letter to the prime minister, Mr Rizvi had demanded that madrassas be replaced by schools affiliated to the CBSE or the ICSE which will offer students an optional subject of Islamic education.
Later in the month, he had approached the Lucknow police alleging that he had received a threat call from a man claiming to be an aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
Mr Rizvi had reported to the police that the caller said he was threatened for his stand on madrassa education and other issues.
Earlier, he had also expressed support in building of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The Delhi police said that during the past few months, they had received inputs that Chotta Shakeel, under the directions from gangster Dawood Ibrahim, had been planning some subversive activities in India.
Subsequently, it was learnt that one Salim from Bulandshahr had recently returned from Dubai and was in constant touch with Dubai-based underworld operatives, said P.S. Kushwah, deputy commissioner of police (special cell).
The activities of Salim were monitored which revealed that Salim along with his associates Arif and others was planning to kill Mr Rizvi.
The group had convened a meeting in Delhi in March for this purpose and from here they had gone to Lucknow to recce Mr Rizvi's office. After the observations, they had informed their handlers in Dubai.
Salim was paid 3000 dirham for buying arms and ammunition and had been promised more money when the work was done, the police added.
Waseem Rizvi had approached the Lucknow police alleging that he had received a threat call from a man claiming to be an aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
