NIA raids places of Dawood’s associates

MUMBAI: The NIA on Monday detained gangster Chhota Shakeel’s aide Salim Qureshi aka Salim Fruit and a trustee of Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai after conducting raids at over 20 places here and in adjoining Thane district against associates of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, an official said.

The agency also conducted a search at the residence of bookie-turned-builder Ajay Gosalia in Borivali area here, he said.

The NIA picked up Salim Qureshi, the husband of Chhota Shakeel’s sister-in-law, from his residence in Bhendi Bazar area of south Mumbai, the official said.

It also detained Sohail Khandwani, the trustee of the Haji Ali Dargah and Mahim Dargah, from his residence in Mahim area, the official said.

A team of NIA officials also searched Khandwani’s Mahimbased office, and questioned a number of people, including builder Aslam Soratia and beef exporter Fareed Qureshi, he said.

Some other people residing in Bandra and Mahim areas were also questioned, the official added.Since morning, the central agency conducted raids at a housing society in Mumbai’s Nagpada area, Bhendi Bazar, Santacruz, Mahim and Goregaon areas of the city, Mumbra in Thane and other places against associates of 1993 Mumbai blasts’ mastermind Dawood Ibrahim.

Several ‘hawala’ operators and drug peddlers were allegedly associated with Ibrahim, official said.

In February this year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned Salim Qureshi as part of its probe in a money laundering case linked to Dawood Ibrahim.

The ED had then conducted multiple searches in Mumbai as part of a money laundering probe into the operations of the underworld and linked illegal property deals and hawala transactions.