Mumbai, Dec. 13 :
Mumbai, Dec. 13:
Police today busted a mob plot to kill Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgan, picking up a producer with alleged links to Dawood Ibrahim.
Nazim Hassan Rizvi, producer of the forthcoming blockbuster Chori Chori Chupke Chupke - starring Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta - was arrested by crime branch officers at his Andheri office around 3 pm for allegedly plotting the attacks on the stars and funnelling mob money into his film.
The police said the attack was planned by Chhota Shakeel, the Dubai-based righthand man of Dawood, living in Karachi under the protection of the Pakistani intelligence agency.
Other than Shah Rukh and Devgan, Rakesh Roshan was on top of the underworld's hit list, the police said. The gang had planned to kill the actor-turned-director to put an end to the flourishing career of his son Hrithik the Rage Roshan.
Rakesh Roshan was shot and wounded by the hitmen of Abu Salem, a Dawood confidant, in Mumbai on January 21 after he refused to sell overseas rights of Hrithik's debut film Kaho Na Pyar Hai to 'parties' the gang had suggested.
The police said Rizvi had picked out Shah Rukh because the star had rejected his offer to work for his film and 'would not listen to him at all'. Devgan was targeted after he refused to delay the release of his first production, Raju Chacha, due for release on December 29.
Rizvi wanted Raju Chacha's release stalled till his movie, scheduled to hit the screens on December 22, tasted box-office success. The police said Chhota Shakeel had also threatened Kumar Mangal, personal assistant to Devgan, for not rescheduling the release.
After he was picked up, Rizvi was taken to Empire Studio, where the production of Chori Chori Chupke Chupke was being finalised. All prints were seized and the release was banned.
Rizvi has been booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, passed early this year by the Congress-led government to empower the police to fight the Mumbai underworld.
Under the law, known as mini-Tada, the police can try an accused in a special criminal court, where cases are dealt with fast. Getting bail is also difficult under the law.
The producer, who has very few films to his credit, has also been charged with extortion and conspiracy and attempted murder under the Indian Penal Code.
The police said it had evidence the producer was funnelling mob money into Bollywood. They claimed D Company had spent at least Rs 22 crore making the blockbuster.