A man has been charged over the alleged murder of notorious bikie Mohammed Akbar Keshtiar, who was gunned down outside his apartment building in South Yarra almost two years ago.
Keshtiar, known as Afghan Ali, died in hospital after being shot several times while walking along Almeida Crescent, South Yarra, about 11.40pm on August 4, 2023.
Detectives arrest a man in connection with the shooting death of bikie Mohammed Akbar Keshtiar.
Police said on Friday that a 23-year-old Narre Warren man, later identified as Adris Kheyali, had been arrested in Dandenong with help from the special operations group. He has been charged with murder and conduct endangering life.
Footage captured of the arrest showed detectives escorting a barefooted man, dressed in a T-shirt and camouflage khaki pants, to an unmarked police car.
Kheyali appeared on Friday night before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court, where prosecutors’ described the case as a “complex, ongoing organised crime investigation”.
“There’s a significant amount of telecommunications data and mapping by a telecommunications expert,” a police prosecutor said.
Keshtiar was gunned down outside his apartment building in South Yarra.
The prosecutor argued police needed 20 weeks, or eight more than usual, to pull together their evidence, which also included CCTV footage. Police resourcing was also an issue, the court heard.
“Anything less than [20 weeks] is unrealistic and unfortunately not possible,” the prosecutor said.
Magistrate Belinda Wallington ultimately decided police should serve a partial brief in 12 weeks, and the rest later.
At one point, a lawyer representing Kheyali cut him off when he asked: “Can I please speak?”
It was the 23-year-old’s first time in custody, the lawyer said. He had a knee injury, took Endone, and needed to see a custody nurse after sustaining a head injury on Friday, the court heard.
Kheyali is next due in court on August 8.
On the night of his death, Keshtiar had been on his way home from the gym and walking with an associate along Almeida Crescent when a vehicle sped up and approached them. Police said the car slowed down and shots were fired, hitting Keshtiar several times. Then, someone got out of the car and continued shooting at Keshtiar.
Witnesses tried to administer first aid before emergency services arrived.
Keshtiar was taken to hospital, where he later died. His associate was not injured during the shooting and fled the scene.
A stolen Prado was found torched in Churchill Park Drive, Endeavour Hills, hours later, which police believe is linked to the fatal shooting.
Last September, police announced a $1 million reward for information on the fatal shooting, and on Friday said that reward remained on offer.
Police Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said the arrest was “incredibly significant” in the fight against organised crime.
“This was an incident that involved a confronting level of public violence which could have easily impacted innocent members of the public,” O’Brien said. “For that reason alone, this investigation has remained the highest priority for Victoria Police over the past 20 months.
“It’s never been any secret that Keshtiar had significant connections to a number of organised crime groups, which certainly added complexity to the investigation. Our focus remains on identifying all those involved in this incident, and we again appeal for anyone who does have information to come forward.”
Police believe Keshtiar’s death was a targeted attack and previously voiced fears it could prompt an escalation in violence among Melbourne’s underworld gangs. Keshtiar was born in Afghanistan and spent most of his youth there before moving to Pakistan for several years.
Keshtiar moved to Australia as a 19-year-old.
He migrated to Australia as a 19-year-old and became a hard worker, from a respectable and law-abiding family, holding various jobs in the security industry for about a decade. In Melbourne, he first came to the attention of police in May 2000 over an incident at the Dome nightclub in Prahran.
Keshtiar punched a nightclub employee in the face after some jostling broke out near the club’s back door. He and a friend left the Dome, but walked around to the front, where Keshtiar pulled a handgun from his pocket and pointed it at the face of another employee, before shooting him in the thigh.
Keshtiar served time in prison for the attempted murder of a man and a woman he shot while on bail in 2003. The underworld figure was recruited to the Mongols, one of Melbourne’s most powerful bikie gangs, while in prison.
Keshtiar survived a separate murder attempt almost a decade ago which resulted in a death that was a case of mistaken identity.
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