Mumbai: The National Investigative Agency (NIA) on Monday conducted raids at several places in Mumbai and Thane in a crackdown on hawala operators, drug dealers and others with alleged links to Dawood Ibrahim and his associates.
Among those detained yesterday were Dawood's key man Chhota Shakeel's brother-in-law Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit, Suhail Khandwani, the managing trustee of Mahim and Haji Ali dargahs, Bollywood producer and the 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Sameer Hingorani, alleged hawala operator Abdul Kayyum, alleged bookie-turned builder Ajay Ghosaliya alias Ajay Ganda, Mobida Bhiwandiwala, Guddu Pathan, and restaurateur Aslam Sarodia. Electronic devices, documents of investments in real estate, cash and firearms were seized during raids at 29 locations yesterday.
“The case pertains to terror and criminal activities of the international terrorist network of D-Company involving Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and his associates, including Anees Ibrahim Shaikh, Chhota Shakeel, Javed Patel and Tiger Memon for indulging in arms smuggling, narco-terrorism, money laundering, circulation of fake currency, etc The criminal syndicate is active in acquisition of key assets for raising terror funds and working in active collaboration with international terrorist organisations including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and al Qaeda,” a senior NIA officer said.
The NIA carried out raids at Bandra, Nagpada, Bhendi Bazar, Goregaon, Parel, Santacruz, Malad, Borivali and Mumbra. The NIA sources said the agency had inputs on sleepers cells activated by the D-Gang in Mumbai which were being provided logistics and funds by the aides of the gangsters.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned Salim Qureshi as part of its probe in a money laundering case linked to Dawood in February, after which the NIA registered a case regarding the involvement of top operatives of the D-Gang in terror activities, organised crime and acts aimed at creating unrest in India. The ED had filed a money laundering case in which NCP leader and MVA minister Nawab Malik was arrested for usurping a prime property in Kurla with the muscle power provided by the G-Gang.
The NIA probe led the agency to a Haji Ali dargah trustee, Mohiuddin Tayyeb Sony, in alleged land-grabbing cases in Mumbai and the adjoining regions for the D-Gang. According to senior Mumbai Police officers from the Crime Branch, Tayyeb is allegedly an old hand of Dawood's crime syndicate and is allegedly involved in land-grabbing, illegal constructions and money laundering including in the Campa Cola compound at Worli for the FSI violation to build 102 illegal flats.
Tayyeb has allegedly sold many disputed marquee properties to Bollywood stars by forging documents and is suspected to be hiding in the US.
