2 former aides of gangster T P Raja held for killing him

Two former friends of gangster D K Rao's close aide T P Raja have been arrested for allegedly stabbing him to death on December 7, police said Monday.

Police suspect some contentious financial dealing among the trio as the cause for Raja's killing.

Marimutthu Periswami Devendra alias 'T P Raja' was stabbed to death in his residence at Mhada building in Kokri Agar area in Sion Koliwada.

During the investigation, it came to light that Raja was involved in the murder of one Krishna Devendra who was shot dead outside Sewree court in south Mumbai in 2006, a police official said.

Devendra's killing was executed by Raja with his aides Imran Munna Qureshi and Amjad Maqbul Khan, he said.

While investigating Raja's murder, a team of Wadala Truck Terminus (TT) police found that Imran and Khan had been missing, he said.

A police team arrested Khan from Rajsaman in Rajasthan on December 16, he said.

During Khan's interrogation, the role played by him and Imran in the killing came to the fore.

Three serious offences were registered against Khan at various police stations, he said.

The police team, which was on hunt of Imran, received a secret information that he would be visiting his residence in Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai, following which a trap was laid and he was arrested.

"According to preliminary investigation, T P Raja was killed by two of his friends for financial transactions and property dealings," said N Ambika, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone-IV.

Our teams are working on the case, she said.

While the first accused (Khan) was arrested from Rajastan, another accused (Imran) on Monday, she said.

At the time of murder, Raja was wearing gold ornaments, weighing nearly one kg but his killers left them untouched, another official said.

Raja was a long-time active member of the DK Rao gang who worked for a builder lobby, he added.