Mumbai: The Mumbai police are planning to slap the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against cricket bookie and hawala operator Anil Jaisinghani, arrested last month, for blackmailing and sending extortion messages to Amruta Fadnavis, the wife of Maharashtra Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is also preparing a case for the scheduled offence of terrorism funding against the bookie and hawala operator for the channelling of match fixing and cricket betting funds linked to the fugitive gangster and designated global terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim.
Jaisinghani booked in 17 criminal cases
Anil Jaisinghani has 17 criminal cases registered against him in Mumbai, Thane, Ahmedabad, Assam, Rajasthan, Goa and Madhya Pradesh, including a case of money laundering involving a Rs 10,000-crore hawala transaction filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Ahmedabad.
According to legal experts, MCOCA trials take precedence over other criminal cases registered against an accused and allow Mumbai Police longer custody of Anil Jaisinghani without bail and transfer to other states seeking his arrest.
“MCOCA provides the state special powers to combat organised crime and longer custody without bail. Anil Jaisinghani’s role in IPL cricket betting, hawala transactions linked to Dubai and Karachi, extortion and blackmailing are a perfect fit for MCOCA,” explained a senior crime branch officer monitoring investigations into Jaisinghani’s criminal empire.
Jaisinghani currently lodged at Taloja Central Jail, Navi Mumbai
Jaisinghani’s legal team has managed to procure bail in the case registered at Anjuna, by Goa Police; the Ahmedabad unit of the ED has failed to get custody of the hawala operator who is wanted since the 2015 money laundering case. He is currently in judicial custody, lodged at Taloja Central Jail, Navi Mumbai, and several other police teams are waiting to arrest him in cases registered at their respective police stations.
The legal team of advocates Mrigendra Singh and Manan Sanghai has denied that Jaisinghani is a habitual offender wanted in 17 cases. “Majority of the 17 cases have been closed and only five cases are pending before the court. He has secured bail in the Goa case. Police have no case against Anil Jaisinghani and have illegally arrested him. If new cases are being foisted to keep him in custody without bail, it is to prevent the truth from becoming public,” said the duo.
