Iqbal Kaskar arrest: Police to probe Dawood Ibrahim link in extortion racket

Thane Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh said builders had received threats in Dawood's name and, sometimes, shooters were brought from outside the state to forcibly evacuate properties.

A day after the arrest of Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother Iqbal Kaskar in an extortion case, Thane Police said they will probe whether the fugitive underworld don was directly or indirectly involved in the racket. Briefing reporters over Kaskar’s arrest, Thane Commissioner of Police Param Bir Singh said builders had received threats in Dawood’s name and, sometimes, shooters were brought from outside the state to forcibly evacuate properties.
Names of some politicians, including corporators, cropped up during investigation in the case, Param Bir Singh said.
“Police have arrested three persons including Iqbal Kaskar and two others, including Dawood’s sister Haseena Parkar’s brother-in-law,” Singh said.
Kaskar was arrested from his sister Haseena Parkar’s residence, he added. “When we reached the house, Kaskar was having biryani and watching TV. He had no inkling he was going to be arrested,” Singh said.
The police are examining whether MCOCA can be applied in the case. Khwaja Hussain, one of the three arrested, is a suspected drug dealer and police are also probing if they are involved in a drug racket.
Singh said they acted on a complaint of a Thane-based builder. “Request victims of extortion racket to come forward and cooperate with probe. We will give them full protection and take strict action against accused,” he said.
On Monday, an officer involved in the arrests said Kaskar had illegally taken four houses from the builder and had been demanding more. “The builder had approached Kaskar in the past to settle a dispute pertaining to a plot, in lieu of which he demanded four houses from the builder, which he obliged. However, when Kaskar recently asked for one more property, the builder approached the Thane police and lodged a complaint,” said an officer, adding: “We are interrogating the accused and more arrests are likely in the case.”
This is not the first time that Kaskar has been arrested in an extortion case. In 2015, the Mumbai Police had arrested him after estate agent Salim Sheikh lodged a complaint at the Byculla police station claiming that Kaskar and his men had demanded Rs 3 lakh after thrashing him.
In 2003, Kaskar was deported from Dubai and was brought to stand trial in two cases, including the controversial Sara Sahara case where a building was constructed illegally on a government land. In 2007, Kaskar was acquitted in both the cases.