The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized a flat valued at ₹55 lakh in Thane, Maharashtra, linked to an alleged associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar, as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
On December 24, 2024, officials from the ED confirmed that the residential property in Neopolis Building, Thane West, was attached under a provisional order issued in 2022 against the owner, Mumtaz Ezaz Shaikh. The adjudicatory body of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) authorized this provisional attachment, allowing the ED to finalize the seizure process, which has now been completed.
The ED previously claimed that the flat was extorted by Kaskar and his associates from a local real estate developer, Suresh Devichand Mehta. According to the ED, Mr. Mehta, who was operating a construction business with a partner through his firm Darshan Enterprises, was forced to surrender the property due to the influence of Kaskar and others closely associated with the notorious gangster.
In addition to the flat, the ED reported that four cheques amounting to ₹10 lakhs—demanded by the accused—were issued and subsequently encashed through cash withdrawals. The investigation relates to a Thane Police FIR filed in September 2017, with charges brought under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the implicated parties.
Iqbal Kaskar is currently in judicial custody. Meanwhile, Dawood Ibrahim, identified as a terrorist by India, is believed to be residing in Pakistan.
Published – December 24, 2024 01:42 pm IST
