Late last month, the anti-extortion cell of south region received a tip-off that a businessman was being threatened to pay up Rs 10 lakh, said the police. The police laid a trap and arrested Bagul (30), who split the beans during sustained interrogation.

Bagul, the son of a railway ticket checker, was a resident of Kalyan. He would operate gambling stalls at local fairs and events. Around five years back, he came in contact with another such stall owner, who put him on to some local robbers, said the police. Bagul joined the gang and later landed in jail for robbing a person in1995. Before his recent arrest, this was to be the only time that he landed in jail.

There, Bagul met Salim Chikna, a top Chhota Shakeel gangster, who promised to put him in touch with Shakeel, the police said. After contacting Shakeel, Bagul was `tested' by asking to fire on film producer Mukesh Duggal in March 7, 1997. He was paid Rs 25,000 for the job. He was also among the shooters who killed Chhota Rajan gangster Mahendra Patil. Bagul was known only as `Salman' to the gangsters, including Shakeel himself. He was also part of the Shakeel gang's extortion racket, and for every extortion payment of Rs 10 lakh, he was paid a lakh.

Instead of squandering this money in bars and restaurants like other gangsters, Bagul used the lakhs to set up his other self at Nashik. He purchased a Tata Sumo, and acquired a small piece of land at Nashik where he set up a children's amusement park. Bagul settled there with his family, where he was known as a tourist operator. He would even pay haftas to localgangsters who never suspected that Bagul was an expert marksmen of the Shakeel gang! Bagul would zip back to Mumbai as and when an `assignment' came up, and he managed to stay safe when his fellow gangsters were being arrested or gunned down in encounters, said the police.

The law caught up with Bagul when he decided to operate a one man extortion racket and made a few calls to businessmen in the city. One of them tipped off the police, and Bagul was finally nabbed by members of the anti-extortion cell of the south region. He has now been remanded to custody at the Cuffe Parade police station.