Dawood’s nephew, two aides booked under MCOCA

MCOCA was invoked against Kaskar, Vadhariya and Towelwala because they had allegedly claimed to be connected to fugitive gangsters Fahim Machmach and Chhota Shakeel.

The anti-extortion cell (AEC) on Monday invoked provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew, Rizwan Kaskar and two of his associates. Kaskar along with Ahmedraza Afroz Vadhariya, 24, and Ashfaq Rafiq Towelwala, 34, were produced before the special MCOCA court on Monday and have been remanded in AEC’s custody till August 5.

Rizwan Kaskar was arrested on July 17 for threatening a businessman. (HT file)

The trio were arrested on July 17, for allegedly threatening a city businessman with whom they had a financial dispute. Chief public prosecutor Jaysing Desai on Monday sought their police custody for a maximum period in order for their case to be probed in detail. Desai said that since their arrest, more victims have come forward. MCOCA was invoked against Kaskar, Vadhariya and Towelwala because they had allegedly claimed to be connected to fugitive gangsters Fahim Machmach and Chhota Shakeel. Kaskar is the son of Ibrahim’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar, who is currently in Thane Central Jail after being arrested on allegations of extortion and being charged under MCOCA.

According to the AEC, Vadhariya borrowed ₹25.5 lakh from a businessman based in south Mumbai, and later failed to return the money. When victim demanded repayment, Vadhariya threatened him, referring to Machmach and Shakeel. Using the same modus operandi, Vadhariya had allegedly duped another businessman in Mumbai and took ₹85 lakh. The AEC also submitted that Shakeel has as many as 103 cases pending against him while Machmach has 27 cases registered against him in the city.

The prosecution pleaded that even after the arrest of the accused, the complainant had received a threat call from the accused, which shows they were not involved in the extortion. They argued that their dispute with the complainant was a civic dispute that was being misrepresented. Kaskar’s lawyer also said that his client had been arrested just because he is related to Ibrahim.