Mumbai, June 28: The murderous attack on Arif Lakdawala, police witness in bharat shah case, was suspected to be engineered by underworld figures Chota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim, a top police officer said here today. Lakdawala, who was last night stabbed in the back by two unidentified persons, was also a witness in Gulshan Kumar murder case and the trial involved Dawood Ibrahim's younger brother Iqbal Hassan Kaskar. Lakdawala had recently received telephonic threats from Shakeel, the officer told a news agency. Police had recorded Lakdawala's statement about alleged involvement of Dawood's brother in Channelising funds of the underworld into the real estate of Mumbai, the sources said adding, this might have angered the don and his gang.

Iqbal was deported from Dubai recently. He was arrested with two others on the charge of allegedly evicting a woman from her house which obstructed Sara Shopping Centre allegedly owned by Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel.
Lakdawala had told police that he wanted to buy the garage which once stood on the plot where Sara Shopping Centre is now located. But one of the partners, Abdul Rehman, refused to sell the property saying it belonged to Chhota Shakeel and Dawood Ibrahim.


Police said that Lakdawala's statement indicated that the property belonged to the underworld.

Bureau Report