Mumbai: Former journalist Ketan Tirodkar, who had stirred a hornet nest by alleging underworld-police nexus, was arrested by Mumbai Crime Branch under stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Act today (Jul 9, 2004).

He will be produced in special MCOCA court this evening, senior police officials said.

Tirodkar was arrested after Mumbai Police booked him under MCOCA today along with two more persons namely builder R C Agrawal and fugitive gangster Faheem Machmach, police sources said.

While Tirodkar has been arrested, the sources refused to comment if Agrawal will be arrested soon. Faheem, meanwhile, is in Dubai after he fled there in late 90s. Rumors are that he might be deported to India by Dubai authorities soon.

Earlier, ACP Dilip Sawant of Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Mumbai Crime Branch conducted a probe on the directions of the MCOCA court to ascertain if there was any case against Tirodkar and two others mentioned above.

Tirodkar, a former journalist had created a flutter when he alleged that several police officers of Mumbai were hand in glove with the underworld.

He claimed that he was part of a conspiracy where sub inspector Daya Nayak, who was then posted in Crime Branch, had received money from Dubai-based don Chhota Shakeel.