The arrested have been identified as Jaspalsingh Chouhan, Mehboob Sheikh, Mohammed Bhaidani, Bhramadatta Sahibi, Balvinder Siddu, Suresh Arora, Ramesh Patel, Raju Utekar and Bhavesh Babubhai Shah.

The first four were arrested after the unit-7 of Crime Branch received a tip-off that they were preparing to commit a dacoity at film director Dharmesh Darshan's (of Raja Hindustani fame) residence on October 2. The gang also had plans to abduct actress Manisha Koirala and two other directors, police said.

According to Assistant Commissioner of Police (crime) Dashrat Awad, interrogation of the four accused resulted in their revealing the names of five of their associates, who were later picked up from a hideout in a western suburb. All the ninegangsters have been remanded in police custody till October 16 by a metropolitan magistrate.

Investigations have revealed that they were also involved in the murder of truck driver Ayub Mansuri and his assistant Lala Hussain on May 25 this year. The duo was slain and their bodies dumped on the Ahmedabad Highway.

Goods worth Rs 29 lakh were reported missing from the vehicle and a case was registered with the Manikpur police station.

The group has also confessed that they had raided film producer P Xavier Marquis' office Mark Film International at Supreme Shopping Centre, Juhu, on August 29. Though the producer was not in his office, his manager was threatened and a message to contact Abu Salem and make a payment of Rs 2 crore was left behind.

Members of the same group had also snatched a loaded service revolver from police constable Uttam Chavan on September 18 when he was escorting Bharat Shah, a builder, to his office on Nagindas Master Road at Fort. The firearm has been recovered from a hideout atCentral Government Colony, Antop Hill.

Interestingly, four of the arrested gangsters hail from Punjab and had migrated to the city with dreams of making it big in Bollywood.

Investigations were carried out under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Param Bir Singh.