Bangera was walking with his girlfriend at Chowpatty, when eight robbers stabbed him after he resisted their attempts to snatch his gold chain.

Though early investigations provided little insight, police suspected the killers to be from the nearby locality and spread a dragnet in the Chowpatty area.

A police officer, preferring anonymity, said about 40 malishwallas (masseurs) were rounded up from Chowpatty and given ``special treatment.'' They revealed a few names, and on the basis of this information, a special team of D B Marg police station picked up four suspects from south Mumbai.

The four have been identified as Mohammed Sheikh Akbar Ali, Narhari Yerara Sangam, Badshah Khan and Vinod Sevaram Sharma alias Lambu.

Investigations have revealed the four were members of a gang which targetted couples at Chowpatty after dusk. They worked on daily wages with local caterers and took to looting when they were unemployed.

Police have also arrested the receiver of Bangera's gold chain. He has been identified as Satish Kumar Putylia of Vaibhav Jewellers, Mumbadevi.

Investigations are being carried out by Inspector A B Deshmukh and sub-inspector Vinayak Karkera. A manhunt has been launched to nab other suspects.

Meanwhile, 45-odd masseurs who made a thriving business at Girgaum Chowpatty have disappeared from the area. Many of them are into robbery, police sources revealed.