Iqbal Kaskar targeted businessmen

Mumbai: Fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother Iqbal Kaskar had been allegedly making extortion calls in his name and threatening businessmen in Mumbai and Thane, the police said on Tuesday. Iqbal, along with his two aides, was arrested Monday night for his alleged role in an extortion case being probed by the Thane police. 

At least 20 persons including property developers, businessmen and jewellers had been receiving extortion calls from Kaskar, said Thane police commissioner Param Bir Singh. The police is also investigating if Ibrahim had any role in the case, according to Mr Singh. “We had information that the Dawood gang had become active in Thane region since sometime and were working on it. When we learnt of the extortion case wherein Kaskar has forcefully taken over four residential apartments and demanded Rs 30 lakh in cash, we persuaded the builder to give an official complaint,” said Mr Singh. Kaskar was assisted by some local builders and at least two corporators, who will be summoned for questioning by the police soon.

Kaskar had been threatening the builder, asking for more apartments after taking over four of them, slated to be worth around Rs 5 crore all together. He had been making threat calls to the developer and at least 20 others, threatening them in the name of Dawood Ibrahim and demanded extortion. 

“We are looking for Ibrahim’s direct or indirect role in the case and if we establish it, he will be named as an accused,” added Singh. Kaskar was kept under surveillance for long and a plan was chalked to get Kaskar soon after the case was registered on Monday. “Kaskar was having dinner when the team landed there. He sought time to finish his dinner, which was granted. He was then brought to Thane,” added Singh.

No senior Mumbai police officer, meanwhile, was available for a comment on Kaskar‘s arrest, even though according to the Thane police he had allegedly been operating from his Nagapada residence for quite some time. 

The Thane police said that it would invoke stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, 1999 (MCOCA) in the case. 

Meanwhile, a Thane court remanded Kaskar and two aides to eight days’ police custody on Tuesday. The arrested aides are Asrar Sayyad (52), who allegedly brought land disputes to him, and Mumtaz Shaikh (48), an estate agent who worked with Sayyad. It was then that Kaskar would intervene and threaten using Ibrahim’s name, said sources. 

The duo were arrested earlier and Kaskar’s name cropped up in their investigation later.