Dawood aide Riyaz Bhatti nabbed while trying to flee country

Mumbai Police’s crime branch detained gangster Riyaz Bhatti — purported aide of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim — at Mumbai international airport on Monday evening when

Mumbai Police’s crime branch detained gangster Riyaz Bhatti — purported aide of fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim — at Mumbai international airport on Monday evening when he allegedly tried to flee to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Joint commissioner of police (crime branch) Santosh Rastogi confirmed that Bhatti was detained.

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The gangster was arrested by unit one of crime branch in October 2019 in connection with two cases of extortion registered in Amboli and Juhu police stations. However, he was released on bail as per the direction of the court on the condition that he will not leave the country, said Rastogi.

“There was a lookout circular (LOC) issued against him. The airport authority detained him and informed the Mumbai Police. A police team from unit one brought Bhatti to the unit office for legal process. We will produce him in court,” added Rastogi.

This is not first time that Bhati tried to flee from the country. In October 2015, he was arrested from the international airport when he had planned to fly to South Africa using a fake passport in the name of Bhatti Phoolji. After Bhatti’s original passport expired in 2006, he could not renew it as he was not given police clearance on account of the criminal cases registered against him. However, Bhatti managed to get a fake passport from Rajasthan with the help of his relative and had travelled abroad at least on eight occasions and travelled out of the Mumbai international airport 10 times between 2009 and 2012 using the fake passport.