Two former friends of gangster D K Rao's close aide T P Raja have been arrested for allegedly stabbing him to death on December 7, police said Monday. Police suspect some contentious financial dealing among the trio as the cause for Raja's killing.

Marimutthu Periswami Devendra alias 'T P Raja' was stabbed to death in his residence at Mhada building in Kokri Agar area in Sion Koliwada. During the investigation, it came to light that Raja was involved in the murder of one Krishna Devendra who was shot dead outside Sewree court in south Mumbai in 2006, a police official said. Devendra's killing was executed by Raja with his aides Imran Munna Qureshi and Amjad Maqbul Khan, he said.