CBI for prompt action against gutkha kings

The agency had charged four people last year for helping Dawood Ibrahim in setting up his gutkha business in Pak.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday urged prompt action against those who had helped underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in setting up his gutkha (chewing tobacco) business in Pakistan.

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The CBI had charged four people - Anees Ibrahim, Jamiruddin alias Jumbo, Rajesh Panchariya and Farooq Mohammed Ahmed Mansoori - on Feb 2 last year for helping Dawood to set up a unit in Pakistan to manufacture gutkha.

"Investigations revealed that these people had played a major role in setting up of the business in Pakistan," CBI spokesperson GD Mohanty said. He added that the case was first registered in October 2004 by Mumbai Police and was later handed over to the CBI.

Officials said that the four accused had aided in the export to Pakistan via Dubai of machinery for manufacturing gutkha pouches.

Two gutkha barons, JM Joshi and Manikchand Dhariwal, were also named and questioned in the case for their alleged links with Dawood and his brother Anees Ibrahim.

CBI officers said Jamiruddin and Panchariya had disclosed during interrogation that they were forced by Joshi, Dhariwal and Dawood to send the machinery to Pakistan.

"After their names came up during the questioning, we had questioned the two gutkha barons," said Mohanty.