The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday detained four people after conducting raids at over 20 places in Mumbai and in adjoining Thane district in its crackdown on associates of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The NIA detained gangster Chhota Shakeel’s aide Salim Qureshi aka Salim Fruit, Kayyum and Suhail Khandwani, who is the managing trustee of Mahim Dargah and Haji Ali Dargah.
The NIA picked up Qureshi, the husband of Shakeel’s sister-in-law, from his residence in Bhendi Bazar area of south Mumbai. It also detained one Sameer Angora from Delite Apartments in Bandra.
The central agency conducted raids at a housing society in Mumbai’s Nagpada area, Bhendi Bazar, Santacruz, Mahim, Goregaon areas of Mumbai, Mumbra in Thane and other places against associates of Dawood Ibrahim. Several hawala operators and drug peddlers were allegedly associated with Ibrahim, official said.
The probe agency said that it had registered a case against hawala operators and drug peddlers who were associated with Dawood in February. However, the raids began today.
This is the same case in which Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last month. Based on the NIA case, the ED had filed a money laundering case in which Malik was arrested for allegedly usurping a prime property in Mumbai’s Kurla with the help of members of D-Company.
