Arif Shaikh, also known as Arif Bhaijaan and the brother-in-law of Chota Shakeel, died of a heart attack while in Arthur Road Jail. He was arrested by the NIA in May 2022 after being implicated in aiding fugitive gangster Dawood and his associate Chota Shakeel in their activities in Mumbai and other areas.
The NIA had arrested Arif Bhaijaan in a terror funding case related to Dawood Ibrahim, and he has been in jail since then. According to sources, Arif Bhaijaan's health deteriorated on Friday evening. He was taken to the hospital where doctors declared him dead. His body has been taken to Sir J.J. Hospital, where an autopsy will be conducted on Saturday.
In 2006, Arif Bhaijaan was extradited from Dubai to Mumbai due to his involvement in the murder of Gujarat's former Home Minister, Haren Pandya. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch had also filed multiple cases against him for extortion and land grabbing. In 2016, the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Bhaijaan in connection with an extortion case.
Sources indicated that Arif Shaikh, acting on orders from Chota Shakeel, operated for the Dawood gang and was reportedly active in certain areas of western Mumbai. Arif resided in Mira Road.
Arif Bhaijaan was married to Chota Shakeel's sister, Fahmida, who passed away in 2020.