Former Dawood Ibrahim aide Ejaz Lakdawala arrested
PTI, Jan 9, 2020, 3:10 PM IST
Mumbai: Fugitive gangster Ejaz Lakdawala, wanted in connection with several cases of extortion and attempt to kill, has been arrested by Mumbai Police’s anti-extortion cell, a top official said on Thursday.
Lakdawala, 50, was detained at Patna by the anti-extortion cell with the help of Bihar Police on Wednesday. He was then brought to Mumbai and placed under arrest late Wednesday night, Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve told reporters here.
Once a close aid of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Lakdawala was wanted in at least 27 cases in Maharashtra, including 25 in Mumbai, he said, adding that as of now 80 people have come forward with complaints against him.
After being arrested, Lakdawala was produced in a Mumbai court which remanded him in police custody till January 21, the official said.
“He was wanted in various cases under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) cases. All these cases will be investigated concurrently,” he said.
In May 2004, Lakdawala was arrested by the Canadian Police in Ottawa. A few years back he was believed to be somewhere in North America, although he frequently changed his locations to South East Asia as well.
A Red Corner notice was earlier issued against him. On the operation to nab Lakdawala, Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Saxena said their efforts to nab the fugitive gangster were on since the last six months and the city police force was working closely with central agencies.
“Our efforts gained momentum after the arrest of Lakdawala’s daughter Shifa Shahid Shaikh at the Mumbai International Airport on December 28 while she was traveling to Nepal on a fake passport,” he said.
Shaikh was traveling with a passport in the name of Soniya Manish Advani, he said.
During her interrogation, police got some important information about Lakdawala’s movements following which he was nabbed at Jakkanpur village in Patna, he said.
Lakdawala has been arrested on a complaint filed with the anti-extortion cell by a businessman from Khar in Mumbai. His daughter has also been arrested in the same case, the official said.
After splitting with fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, Lakdawala started operating with gangster Chhota Rajan. He, however, parted ways with Rajan in 2008 and started running his operations independently, Saxena said.
“We have information that he stayed in Canada, Malaysia, USA, London, and Nepal and we will confirm this information during the investigation,” he said.
“He was operating under various fakes names, passports and travel documents. Mumbai Police will examine all those documents”, the official said.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Think of forming inclusive govt not one that divides: Kharge to voters
FSSAI directs online platforms to deliver food items with minimum 45 day shelf life
Maharashtra Elections | PM Modi has eliminated terrorism, Naxalism; Article 370 not coming back: Amit Shah
Ayodhya: Security beefed up around Ram Temple after ‘threat’ by pro-Khalistan leader Pannun
India successfully test-fires long-range cruise missile
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Think of forming inclusive govt not one that divides: Kharge to voters
Kinnigoli tragedy: Investigation reveals fiinancial and personal troubles
Man sentenced to 3 years in prison, fined for misconduct with minor in 2015 incident
By-poll: Voting underway in three Assembly segments in Karnataka
FSSAI directs online platforms to deliver food items with minimum 45 day shelf life
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.