MCOCA against Dawood’s aide and Salim Penwala

The Mumbai crime branch on Tuesday invoked charges of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) against gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Tariq

The Mumbai crime branch on Tuesday invoked charges of Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) against gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Tariq Parveen and another accused Salim Penwala alias Salim Maharaj, in connection with an extortion case.

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Parveen and Penwala were arrested earlier this month for allegedly helping gangster Ejaz Lakdawala in trying to extort Rs 2 crore from a dry fruit businessman in 2013.

The accused were produced before a special MCOCA court where the prosecution demanded their police custody to interrogate them.

The plea was opposed by Parveen’s lawyer Bharat B Tiwari, who questioned the application of MCOCA in the case and also contended that his client has no connection with Lakdawala. He argued that the two accused had a rift over the matter and Parveen, in 2013, had approached Mira Road police against Lakdawala as he had threatened him (Parveen) and demanded the extortion amount.

“The police failed to register a complaint of this serious nature at that time and left it by registering a non-cognisable complaint. And now after so many years they have registered a case,” Tiwari argued.

The prosecution, however, claimed that they are yet to arrest Lakdawala in the case and the investigation is still in progress.

The court remanded the two accused to police custody till February 21.