NIA had lodged an FIR against D company in February alleging that the members of the group are involved in actions intended to spread fear amongst people in Mumbai.
Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday conducted raids at 20 different locations in Mumbai against Pakistan-based gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s associates and a few other hawala operatives. Notably, NIA had lodged an FIR against D company in February 2022 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) alleging that the members of the group are involved in actions intended to spread fear amongst people in Mumbai.The NIA raided several locations on the premises of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s associates across different parts of Mumbai namely Nagpada, Goregaon, Borivali, Santacruz, Mumbra, Bhendi Bazar, Bandra, Kurla and Mahim areas of Mumbai amongst others.
Sohail Khandwani detained
The NIA began the raid at the house of Sohail Khandwani, the trustee of Haji Ali Dargah and Mahim Dargah and took him into custody. A CRPF guard has been deployed outside his house. More details are awaited. The NIA also raided the famous Mahim Dargah of Mumbai.Amongst other people taken into custody by the NIA during the raid are a person named Sameer Angora, who was detained from Delite Apartments in Bandra and another person named Kayyum from the Mahim area of Mumbai.
Salim Fruit detained
NIA also detained Chhota Shakeel’s relative Salim Qureshi aka Salim Sayyed aka Salim Fruit at his residence at Grant road in Mumbai along with some important documents during the raid. Notably, after the NIA filed a case against the D company under UAPA in February 2022, a raid was conducted at several locations in Mumbai and Salim Fruit was interrogated by the ED. Salim Fruit is said to have close connections to the D Gang handling hawala and drug mafia operations.This has been a continuous crackdown since the arrest of Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and his alleged links to the D company. This was pertaining to an alleged land deal wherein Nawab Malik reportedly bought a plot in Kurla from the associates of Dawood Ibrahim.After the arrest of a person from Dharavi who was said to be a ‘sleeper cell’ of the D company, it had been suspected that many such members of the group are operational in different parts of Mumbai, funded by international agencies.
