Police said the incident took place around 2.15 pm when Kishore Wamanrao Jhalte alias Bandya Garde (30) and his friend, Vijay Vaze, stood talking near Atul Towers, Irani Wadi, Kandivli (west). An unidentified youth, who had probably followed them to the spot, fired 12 rounds at them from close range and disappeared in the crowd. Both the victims were rushed to the Bhagwati Hospital, where Jhalte, who had sustained four bullet injuries in the chest and head, was declared dead before admission. His friend Vaze was shifted to Nair Hospital in the evening with eight bullets lodged in his body. Doctors said his condition was critical.

Investigators, who recovered three empty cartridges from the spot, said a 9 mm pistol could have been used by the assailant. Preliminary investigations indicate the shootout was a fallout of an inter-gangrivalry. Jhalte, who had over 10 cases registered against him at Kandivli, Malvani and Ghatkopar police stations, had fallen foul with his former mentor underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim, after he started working independently in the Kandivli-Malvani area. It wasn't just the desertion that had angered Dawood.

Jhalte of late had also begun to eat into the D-company's profits from extortions.

The other theory is that he was eliminated by the Chhota Rajan gang for his earlier association with the Dawood gang.

Though it is still not clear what Vaze was doing with Jhalte, investigations revealed that he was a member of underworld don, Arun Gawli-led Akhil Bharatiya Sena (ABS). Chhota Shakeel men in the past have eliminated several ABS functionaries. The killing of ABS secretary Jitendra Dabholkar being one of them.

Jhalte was not the first in his family (five brothers) to die a violent death. His elder brother, also an underworld operative, was shot dead at Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar some time back. His youngerbrother, a member of the Shrikant Mama gang, was gunned down at Andheri soon after.