Suvarna was employed as a manager in a rice mill owned by Mirchi in London. When the mill was raided by British authorities, Mirchi suspected Suvarna of tipping off authorities about his activities. Suvarna later quit and moved to Mumbai, but when Mirchi's Mumbai establishments were raided as well, he threatened Suvarna over the phone, said Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian.

Mirchi gave a contract for killing Suvarna to the Dubai based drug dealer Ghulam Haider alias Haider Maida, who in turn handed over the contract to Sayed Mohaseen for Rs four lakh. Mohaseen then handed over the contract to Mohammed Aslam aliasSheru and his associates Abdul Gafoor Biyafakki, Adam Toofani, Abdul Mutalib, Samad Sayyed, Sayeed Mohaseen and Imtiyaz Shaikh.

Mirchi also provided the address and photographs of Suvarna to the killers, added Salian.

Suvarna was gunned down near Rhythm House at ` by Gafoor and Toofani on February 24, 1994. The assasins were then sheltered by Mutalib.

The police nabbed Sheru and his associates between 1994 and 1995. Sheru and Gafoor, who were both arrested in Bangalore, confessed to their involvement in 11 murders, including that of Suvarna, said the police. Sheru had also taken a contract to kill actor Shatrughan Sinha and BJP leader Ramdas Nayak, who was later gunned down by Feroz Konkani.

The chargesheet was filed against the gangsters in 1994, and the trial began in 1997. The case was investigated by Police Inspector Nisar Ahmed Shaikh along with PIs Chikhale, Dhobale, API's Lohar and Garule.

TADA judge P H Chavare accepted Suvarna's dying declaration and held that the offence was a terroristact masterminded by Mirchi. Gafoor and Toofani were sentenced to life imprisonment, and will also undergo five years RI for possession of arms. Sheru was sentenced to 10 years RI under TADA and the Arms Act, while Mutalib and Sayyed have been sentenced to five years RI.

Mohaseen and Shaikh were acquitted as the witnesses in their case turned hostile. Mirchi and Haider are absconding.