41 Pak witnesses to depose for gangster

Mumbai: The Thailand court hearing India’s extradition plea for fugitive gangster and alleged Dawood Ibrahim aide, Sayyad Muzakkir Mudassar Hussain, alias Munna Jhingada, has allowed the deposition of 41 Pakistani witnesses who are trying to establish his Pakistani origin. His second wife and children are in Pakistan, a fact that is being referred to as proof of his Pakistani nationality by the Pakistani witnesses, said Mumbai police sources. It is likely that among the Pakistani witnesses are Jhingada’s second wife, said sources.

The court had turned down the request of letting these witnesses depose earlier in October 2017. The move came in the backdrop of a deposition by an officer (a deputy police commissioner) from the city’s crime branch and a fingerprints expert from the state Crime Investi-gation Department (CID) before the court in 2017.

“Pakistan had submitted its list of witnesses to the Thai court, which was turned down in October last year. The deposition, which is currently underway, is likely to be the last step before the decision on his extradition is taken by the Thai court,” said a crime branch officer. Sources in the crime branch said the Pakistani witnesses are officials from the security establishment and local authorities who would claim before the court about Jhingada’s alleged Pakis-tani nationality. The fugitive’s second wife and child, who are both Pakistani nationals, also figure on the list of witnesses.

However, India’s claims on Jhingada are stronger with the crime branch submitting clinching evidence to the Thai court. Jhingada studied in Ismail Yusuf College in Jogeshwari and was married to a woman in Mumbai and has children with her. His first family lives in Jogeshwari.

The dossier of evidence submitted by the crime branch, includes Jhing-ada’s college leaving certificate, his fingerprints on police records with details of six non bailable warrants against him. The list also includes the Red Corner Notice issued by the Interpol and the DNA samples of his parents and sister collected in July 2014 with formal permission from the Andheri magistrate Court.

Chain of events

After being released on bail in 1997, Jhingada allegedly fled to Dubai and then to Karachi in 1999 to join the D-gang

After staying there for a few months, he was sent to Thailand with a team to bump off Rajan in Bangkok

Rajan survived and Jhingada was arrested in 2002 and has been in the custody of the Thai police ever since

When India moved for extraditing him, Pakistan staked claim leading to a prolonged legal tussle