Terror funding case: Bail plea of Chhota Shakeel’s kin rejected | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Terror funding case: Bail plea of Chhota Shakeel’s kin rejected

Mar 25, 2023 11:51 PM IST

MUMBAI: A special MCOCA court has rejected the bail plea of Arif Shaikh aka Arif Bhaijaan, a close relative of Chhota Shakeel observing that evidence produced by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shows that he is a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang (D-Company)

MUMBAI: A special MCOCA court has rejected the bail plea of Arif Shaikh aka Arif Bhaijaan, a close relative of Chhota Shakeel observing that evidence produced by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shows that he is a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang (D-Company).

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“It also reveals from the material placed on record that Arif Shaikh collected, and raised terror funds by way of threatening and extortion of huge amounts of money from various individuals for D-Company. The materials placed on record also prima-facie shows that this accused has received huge amounts of money through hawala from the wanted accused,” special MCOCA judge BD Shelke said while rejecting the bail plea.

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“The witness specifically stated that on directions of Chhota Shakeel, accused number one used to search disputed properties wherein intervention is required for settlement between the parties. They used to threaten the persons putting them in fear of death or grievous hurt and forcibly made them withdraw pending litigations and execute disputed transactions. For the said work, they either extort huge money or take a stake in the property,” the court observed.

While arguing the bail plea, Shaikh’s lawyer Sandeep Karnik had also raised an objection on the applicability of stringent provisions of the MCOCA – Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act to the case.

The court, however, held that the material brought on record by the NIA clearly demonstrated that Arif Shaikh had acted as a member of the organised crime syndicate - D-Company of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Chhota Shakeel and hence prima facie the charges under MCOCA were applicable to the case.

The agency on May 12, last year arrested Arif Abubakar Shaikh and his brother Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh, in connection with the terror funding case registered against fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and some of his close aides, including Chhota Shakeel. Salim Fruit was arrested in August last year in the case, on allegations that he had taken over the gang’s business after the death of Dawood’s sister Haseena Parkar.

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