Firearms, cash seized in searches in Maharashtra, says NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday claimed to have seized firearms and cash in searches conducted at several locations in Maharashtra in connection with its ongoing investigation against wanted terror accused Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar.

In February this year, the NIA had registered a case against Kaskar, his brother Anees, right hand man Shakeel Babumiyan Shaikh alias Chhota Shakeel and others for allegedly indulging in offences like arms smuggling, narco terrorism, money laundering and circulation of counterfeit currency in India.

NIA officials said that raids were conducted at 24 places in Mumbai and five places in the Mira Bhayander area on Monday. All of these premises belong to alleged aides of the D-gang, including some relatives of Dawood and Shakeel, who have been booked in various offences in the past.

“During the searches conducted today at the premises of the suspected associates of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, various incriminating materials including electronic devices, documents of investments in real estate, cash and fire arms were seized,” a statement by the NIA issued on Monday evening stated.

Based on the NIA’s case, the ED had started its own investigation into the money laundering aspects of the case under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The ED had arrested senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik in this case, and he is still in judicial custody. He has been charged with allegedly ‘funding Dawood’s terror network’ by allegedly usurping a property in Kurla in collusion with Dawood’s late sister, Haseena Parkar.

The NIA also names 1993 Mumbai blasts accused Mushtaq alias Tiger Memon and Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna as accused in the case, and both of them were also mentioned in the ED’s remand application filed after Malik’s arrest.