Azhar questioned in diamond trader's murder

Azhar questioned in diamond trader's murder
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

MUMBAI, APRIL 27: The killing of the flamboyant diamond trader Ashraf Patel, took a dramatic twist on Thursday when Mumbai police said that they had questioned Mohammed Azharuddin on the phone and were likely to question him again in person later in the week in connection with the murder.

A few top-rated Bollywood stars, including Sanjay Dutt who had lunch with Patel the day he died, are also likely to be called in for questioning.

Patel was shot dead in Agripada, Mumbai, on Monday by three unidentified gunmen. Hours before his death he had lunch with actor Sanjay Dutt and two days before that he was seen in the company of Mohammed Azharuddin, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Jai Jeet Singh. In their preliminary investigations police have said that Patel who was part of a betting syndicate could have been the victim of rivalry between two underworld outfits.

Singh said that while Azharuddin has already been questioned once on the telephone, he will be questioned in person later in the week as will be the others.

Azharuddin's questioning by the police assumes significance in light of the fact that he was seen with the victim some time between Saturday and Monday evening. Patel who brought in some of the top Swiss watch brands into the country was the man responsible for getting the former captain the lucrative Tissot modelling contract during the World Cup.

At present the police is working on the theory that Patel who had links with the bookie network in Dubai and Sharjah was killed over some match-fixing controversy. ``Patel was definitely a part of the match-fixing deals,'' said Singh. In fact, police believes that Patel could well have been targetted two days before he actually was but he was spared because Azharuddin was seen in his proximity for a considerable period of time and the killers did not want any accidents.

Investigators also found out that bomb blast accused and Bollywood hunk Sanjay Dutt had lunch with the murdered businessman on the day he was shot dead. The police said they are also likely to question some other actors who were reputed to be close to Patel.