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NIA carries out raids against Dawood’s associates in Mumbai
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted raids at 29 locations in Mumbai and in adjoining Thane district against associates of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted raids at 29 locations in Mumbai and in adjoining Thane district against associates of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The searches were held in as many as 24 locations in Mumbai and five places within the limits of Mira Bhayander police commissionerate in Thane district in connection with a case, registered against hawala operators and drug peddlers who were associated with Dawood, in February this year, the agency said in a statement.
Salim Qureshi, brother-in-law of detained gangster Chhota Shakeel, Guddu Pathan, a relative of Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar, Qayyum Shaikh, Sohail Khandwani, the trustee of the Haji Ali Dargah and Mahim Dargam and Samir Hingora, a convict in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings case, were among 21 people whose premises were raided.
A senior NIA official familiar with the development said the searches were held at multiple locations in the western suburbs such as Bandra, Santacruz, Goregaon, Malad and Borivali, and in Nagpada, Grant Road and Parel and Mahim areas in south and central Mumbai.
The team also questioned a number of people, including Khandwani, in the case.
“During the searches conducted today at premises of the suspected associates of Dawood Ibrahim, various incriminating materials, including electronic devices, documents of investments in real estate, cash and firearms, were seized,” the NIA said in its statement.
On February 3, the probe agency had registered a case against Dawood, his brother Anees and Chhota Shakeel among others for their alleged involvement in arms smuggling, narco-terrorism, money laundering, circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes and in unauthorised possession or involvement in acquisition of assets for raising terror funds and working in active collaboration with international terrorist organization like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Al Qaeda (AQ).
Based on the NIA case, the Enforcement Directorate had also registered a money laundering case against Dawood and his close associates on February 14. On February 23, the ED arrested Maharashtra minority development minister Nawab Malik for allegedly usurping a ₹300 crore-worth property at Kurla from a local resident with the help of Dawood’s late sister Haseena Parkar.
