Firing on hotelier: Rajan's aide arrested

Underworld don Chhota Rajan's aide Rohit Thangappan, who was behind bars for the murder of senior scribe Jyotirmoy Dey, was on Wednesday arrested in connection with a firing case involving a hotelier, two days after a local court sought his production, the police said.

The court had on Monday issued the production warrant after the crime branch, probing the firing at hotelier B R Shetty on October 3 by unidentified assailants near Infinity Mall in suburban Andheri, sought Thangappan's custody stating his role in the crime.

Shetty survived the attack. The Crime Branch has already arrested two persons -- Selvan Challappan Daniel 42, a close relative of Thangappan and property dealer Nityanand Nayak -- in the case who allegedly gave information to shooters on Shetty's location.

The interrogation of the two arrested accused indicated the role of Thangappan, the police said.

Thangappan alias Satish Kaliya was earlier arrested for allegedly bumping off Dey on the instructions of Rajan. The senior journalist with Mid-Day was shot dead in suburban Powai on June 11, 2011.