The Thane police have arrested five residents of Ulhasnagar following the murder of Shiv Sena leader Shabbir Shaikh, who, according to sources, ran a matka (gambling) business. According to police, Shaikh, who was recently appointed the Ulhasnagar city president of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, was attacked at 11.30 pm on Friday at Jai Janata Colony in Ulhasnagar. Five men, with faces covered with handkerchiefs, came and stabbed him more than 40 times with knives, said police sources.

Police arrested the five accused with the help of CCTV footage. Three of them have been identified as Vikram alias Viki Rajendra Kavthankar, 39, Prashant alias Salad Tayde, 24, Santkabir Borade, 23. A police officer told mid-day, “During the investigation, we traced all the accused to Ulhasnagar and found out that they have criminal records of assault and making threats. During interrogation, they revealed that they killed Shabbir Shaikh over the gambling business and had a fight a few days ago.”