New Delhi, February 18 The Delhi Police's Special Cell has arrested an alleged shooter who is wanted in multiple murder cases, including the sensational killing of two brothers in northeast Delhi last year, an official said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Mahfooz Ali (45), also known as Bobby Kabootar, was apprehended near Mahipalpur while travelling in a SUV with two men and a woman on Tuesday night, he said.
Police sources claim that Kabootar is also wanted in connection with the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer-rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Mansa district of Punjab. He is suspected of having scouted the singer's movements in the days leading up to the murder.
Investigators are also investigating whether the firearms used in the Moosewala killing were obtained through Kabootar and his associates.
On Tuesday, a trap was laid in the Mahipalpur area, and the vehicle was intercepted around midnight. During the operation, firearms were allegedly recovered from the occupants, after which they were booked under relevant provisions of the Arms Act, sources said.
Kabootar is wanted in several criminal cases, including at least six murder cases, police said. One of the most prominent cases linked to him is the double murder on December 16, 2025, of two brothers, Fazeel and Nadeem, in Jaffrabad area of northeast Delhi.
According to police sources, Kabootar is believed to have been one of the main shooters in the incident in which 48 rounds were fired at the victims while they were travelling on a scooter. Approximately 35 bullets reportedly hit the brothers. One of them died on the spot, while the other succumbed to injuries later at a hospital.
Police say that Kabootar is suspected to be linked to the Hashim Baba gang and has been allegedly involved in multiple murders related to gang rivalry and territorial disputes.
Investigators are also examining his suspected role in the September 2024 murder of gym owner Nadir Shah in Greater Kailash area.
"He may have provided logistical support to shooters in that case. Both the Moosewala and Nadir Shah murders were allegedly carried out at the behest of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, with Hashim Baba believed to be a close associate," police sources said.
Police say that Kabootar got his nickname during his early twenties when he used to rear pigeons on the terrace of his house in Chauhan Bangar area of northeast Delhi. Locals used to call him 'Bobby Kabootar', a name that later appeared in police records.
Kabootar had been on the Delhi Police's wanted list for nearly a decade and had managed to evade arrest despite multiple raids. He was allegedly aided by relatives and associates in the area. The narrow lanes and interconnected terraces of houses in Chauhan Bangar often helped him evade police during raids, an officer said.
Police are now verifying the criminal background of the three other persons who were travelling with him in the vehicle, and further investigation is underway, police added.