IN A DRAMATIC turn of events, the Thane Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) arrested Iqbal Kaskar, younger brother of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, along with two others Monday evening. The arrests were made by former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, who was reinstated last month and was made a senior inspector of the AEC in Thane.
According to sources, Kaskar was arrested on a complaint of extortion lodged by a Thane-based builder at the Kasarvadavali police station. An officer said Kaskar had illegally taken four houses from the builder and had been demanding more. “The builder had approached Kaskar in the past to settle a dispute pertaining to a plot, in lieu of which he demanded four houses from the builder, which he obliged. However, when Kaskar recently asked for one more property, the builder approached the Thane police and lodged a complaint,” said an officer, adding: “We are interrogating the accused and more arrests are likely in the case.”
The sources also said the police were exploring the possibility of invoking provisions of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case. Acting on the builder’s complaint, a team headed by Sharma raided Gordon Hall apartment in South Mumbai’s Nagpada. Before taking Kaskar into custody, a Quick Response Team cordoned off the building in Nagpada, allegedly a stronghold of the D-gang. Kaskar had shifted to the apartment belonging to his late sister, Haseena Parkar, after the recent building collapse in Bhendi Bazar. Kaskar used to stay in the neighbouring Damarwala building and vacated it hours after the collapse.
This is not the first time that Kaskar has been arrested in an extortion case. In 2015, the Mumbai Police had arrested him after estate agent Salim Sheikh lodged a complaint at the Byculla police station claiming that Kaskar and his men had demanded Rs 3 lakh after thrashing him. The alleged incident occurred in a room at 33, Pakmodia Street, where the Damarwala building stands and which is Dawood’s last known address. Before fleeing in 1986, the fugitive criminal wanted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case stayed in the said building along with his family.
While Dawood’s brothers Iqbal and Anees too escaped with him, his mother Aminabai stayed back. After her death, the first floor was given away to a madrasa where young Muslim girls were imparted Quran lessons and also taught tailoring. A corner of the property still houses a few old furniture from Dawood’s Rounaq Afroz hotel. After being deported to Mumbai, Iqbal started staying in Damarwala. He closed down the madrasa and now uses it as his “office”.
In 2003, Kaskar was deported from Dubai and was brought to stand trial in two cases, including the controversial Sara Sahara case where a building was constructed illegally on a government land. In 2007, Kaskar was acquitted in both the cases.
Interestingly, Kaskar was arrested by Sharma who was dismissed in August 2008 from the force for his alleged links with the underworld. Sharma, an inspiration behind several Bollywood movies, has 113 encounters to his credit. His dismissal was in accordance to the provisions of Article 311 of the Constitution, which allows summary dismal without an inquiry.
Sharma, however, challenged his dismissal before the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT), which ruled in his favour in 2009. The state government then challenged the order in the Bombay High Court. In 2010, Sharma was arrested by the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged fake encounter of criminal Lakhan Bhaiyya. In 2013, the trial court acquitted him for want of evidence.
