Mumbai: The city police have shared details of cases registered against Chhota Shakeel, close aide to fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, with the Thane Police, officers said.
They said the Thane Police is considering invoking the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the extortion cases against Dawood’s younger brother, Iqbal Kaskar, and details of the Chhota Shakeel cases will be useful in deciding the same, for which legal help is being taken.
A senior police officer said, “Dozens of charge sheets against Chhota Shakeel have proceeded to trial by the Sessions Court in the last 10 years, which are being scrutinised for possible use in invoking MCOCA in the extortion cases registered in Thane.”
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Mr. Kaskar, Mumtaz Sheikh and Israr Ali Jamil Sayyad were arrested on September 18 by the Thane Police Anti-Extortion Cell. The team, led by PI Pradeep Sharma, registered an FIR for extortion of ₹30 lakh and four flats from a Thane-based builder. A few days later, a Thane-based jeweller had also filed a similar complaint against Mr. Kaskar and his aides.
Police investigating the case recently arrested Borivali-based businessman Pankaj Gangar in connection with the extortion racket. Mr. Gangar, a close aide of ‘matka king’ Pappu Savla, had been sending between ₹10 lakh and ₹15 lakh per month to Shakeel through illegal hawala channels, police had said earlier.
Shakeel is suspected to be involved in the Thane extortion cases, police said.
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Earlier this week, Mr. Kaskar and his co-accused were booked for extorting ₹3 crore from a prominent builder, the third such case against him in Thane.
Police said while perusing his past cases, it was found that Mr. Kaskar had been acquitted in two cases.
Police said Mr. Gangar was an accused in the murder of Shiv Sena corporator Kamlakar Jamsandekar; he has since been acquitted in the case.