The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet against fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, his close aide Chhota Shakeel and three other members of the ‘D Company’ - a name used for Ibrahim’s transnational organised criminal syndicate - in connection with its probe into raising funds to carry out sensational terror activities in Mumbai and other areas, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.
Apart from Ibrahim, a UN-designated global terrorist and Shakeel (both hiding in Pakistan), three other associates arrested by the NIA recently named in the charge sheet are Arif Abubakar Shaikh alias Arif Bhaijaan, Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh and Mohammad Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit.
“Investigations have established that the accused persons who are members of the D-Company, a terrorist gang and an organized crime syndicate, had conspired to further the criminal activities of the gang by carrying out various types of unlawful activities. In furtherance of the said conspiracy, they raised, collected and extorted huge amounts of money by threatening and by putting person(s) in fear of death or grievous hurt, for the D-Company, for the benefit of an individual terrorist (Dawood Ibrahim) in the instant case, and with the intention to threaten the security of India and create terror in the minds of the general public,” said an NIA spokesperson in a statement.
“It has also been established that the arrested accused persons received huge amounts of money through hawala channels, from the absconding/wanted accused based abroad, meant for triggering sensational terrorist/criminal acts) in Mumbai and other parts of India to create terror in the minds of people. The accused persons were holding/in possession of the said ‘proceeds of terrorism’,” the statement added.
{{/usCountry}}“It has also been established that the arrested accused persons received huge amounts of money through hawala channels, from the absconding/wanted accused based abroad, meant for triggering sensational terrorist/criminal acts) in Mumbai and other parts of India to create terror in the minds of people. The accused persons were holding/in possession of the said ‘proceeds of terrorism’,” the statement added.
{{/usCountry}}The federal anti-terror agency had announced a reward of ₹25 lakh on Ibrahim in August.
Based in Karachi, Pakistan, and wanted for multiple terror activities in India including 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Ibrahim also has a bounty of $25 million on his head announced by the United Nations Security Council in 2003.
He is among India’s most wanted men along with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Hizbul Mujahideen boss Syed Salahuddin and JeM number 2 Abdul Rauf Asghar.
The NIA registered a fresh case against Ibrahim and his aides in February this year after receiving information that the ‘D’ Company had established a special unit in India with the help of the other terror groups and Pakistani spy agency – ISI – to target prominent political leaders, businessmen as well as support the terror and sleeper cells of LeT, JeM and AQ in Indian cities to carry out strikes.
As part of the probe, the NIA raided 29 locations and several individuals, including Suhail Khandwani, a trustee of Haji Ali Dargah and Mahim Dargah; Samir Hingora, a convict in March 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai; Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit, the brother-in-law of Shakeel Shaikh aka Chhota Shakeel; Guddu Pathan, a relative of Dawood Ibrahim’s brother Iqbal Kaskar and Qayyum Shaikh, a resident of Bhiwandi, in May this year.