Police invokes MCOCA against Iqbal Kaskar, Chhota Shakeel in extortion case
Mumbai: The Thane Police has invoked Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) provisions against Iqbal Kaskar, brother of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim on the bases of the multiple charge-sheets filed against him, and Chhota Shakeel, who is known for being Dawood’s close aide. According to the sources in Thane Crime Branch, Kaskar and Shakeel already have two and nine chargesheets filed against them, respectively.
Apart from Kaskar and Shakeel, matka operator Pankaj Gangar, estate agent Asrarali Sayyad and middleman Mumtaj Shaikh have been slapped with MCOCA, the police officials said. It should be noted that to invoke MCOCA, at least one among a group of accused must have at least two chargesheets filed against them in the last 10 years.
The MCOCA application will give the police officials more time to investigate and file charges against the said accused. Also, an assistant police commissioner level officer will now probe the case. The case in question is one of the three cases registered by the crime branch against the gang and their leaders.
“We have invoked MCOCA against Kaskar and others. This will further strengthen the probe, which is still underway,” said Abhishek Trimukhe, deputy commissioner of police, Thane crime branch.
Thane police’s anti extortion cell (AEC) has taken 12-days custody of all the accused persons for probing the case. The accused had allegedly extorted cash and flats located in a plush project at Ghodbunder Road in Thane from a property dealer. The two hitmen, identified as Guddu and Shammi, who were allegedly summoned from Bihar to threaten the victims are yet to be nabbed.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a case against Kaskar, Sayyad and Shaikh to ascertain if the money made from the four extorted flats (which were later sold) and Rs 30 lakh cash was laundered by Kaskar and his cronies.
The investigators have not ruled out the application of MCOCA in another extortion case, which names all the three brothers Dawood, Iqbal and Anees. The case pertains to a deal of around Rs 35 crore involving a 38 acre land parcel in Gorai.
