Fazl-ur-rehman,former aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim,has denied his involvement in the Parekh-Shah abduction case of 2000. According to sources,Rehman,who is at present in the custody of Rajkot police,has admitted to his association with two Gujaratis Bhogiala Darji and Raju Anadkat who are also accused in the case. Anadkat,along with Raza Khan and Aftab Ansari,who were arrested in connection with the case,had named Rehman as a party to the crime,in their statements. Rehman,however,said during his interrogation that he had no clue as to who got the ransom of Rs 1.5 crore in cash and another similar amount through hawala,sources said. The Rajkot police took him into custody from their Surat counterparts on Friday. He was later produced before a local court,which remanded him in 10-day police custody. According to the police,Rehman,along with Ansari and Anadkat,was the key conspirator,whereas one Asif Raza Khan worked with some locals in Rajkot to make arrangements for the abductions. The crime was allegedly committed at the behest of film actor Shilpa Shetty. A total of 49 people,including Ansari,who is also an accused in the American Consulate attack case in Kolkata,were arrested for allegedly abducting jeweller Bhaskar Parekh and his friend Paresh Shah in November 2000. The two were kept at places like Vadodara,Ankleshwar and Rajpipada before their release from Delhi after more than a fortnight. Investigations had revealed that the abduction was done for ransom with the help of a couple of Gujaratis settled in Dubai. Two of the accused Rajshir Mer and Asif Khan were killed in separate encounters with the police,while Red Corner notices were issued against Rehman,Darji and his son Nitin. Rehman,accused in 29 cases of extortion and kidnappings in Delhi,Gujarat,Maharashtra and Bihar,was arrested from Delhi in 2007.
