ED seizes Dawood Ibrahim brother Iqbal Kaskar’s Thane flat in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken possession of a flat in Thane tied to a money laundering case involving fugitive underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar, and his associates. The flat, located in Neopolis Tower at Kavesar, has been under provisional attachment since March 2022.

The case stems from a 2017 FIR filed by the Thane police anti-extortion cell. ED investigations revealed that Kaskar and his aides, including Mumtaz Shaikh and Israr Sayed, extorted property and cash from a real estate developer under the guise of their proximity to Dawood Ibrahim.

The flat, valued at nearly Rs 75 lakh, was held in Shaikh’s name. It was allegedly acquired as part of an extortion scheme targeting builder Suresh Mehta and his firm, Darshan Enterprises. The accused reportedly demanded the flat and Rs 10 lakh in cash through fraudulent cheques, which were later withdrawn.

The ED’s probe found that these financial transactions were designed to conceal the beneficiaries of the extorted funds.

In February 2022, Kaskar was questioned by ED officials regarding the Dawood gang’s operations in Mumbai and other parts of India. Searches were conducted at the residences of Kaskar, Shaikh, and Sayed.

A <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chargesheet-filed-by-ed-against-dawood-ibrahim-s-brother-iqbal-kaskar-in-money-laundering-case-1938492-2022-04-17?utm_source=global-search&utm_medium=global-search&utm_campaign=global-search” target=”_self”>charge sheet was filed by the ED in April 2022 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following a final report from Thane police citing violations under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act and then sections of the Indian Penal Code, including extortion and conspiracy.

Kaskar, deported from the UAE in 2003, is suspected of managing Dawood Ibrahim’s operations in India. Dawood is believed to be operating from Karachi, Pakistan, with ties to intelligence agencies and terrorist organisations.