Javed Naviwala, a resident of the 18-storey building Yusuf Manzil in Agripada, was described as a “family man” by his neighbours. The residential tower is less than 2 km from the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad headquarters in Nagpada. “He is a family man with kids, and seemed very normal. We were shocked when it (his arrest) happened,” said a neighbour. Naviwala was arrested early Thursday morning for allegedly supplying funds through hawala to an Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agent. A security guard at Yusuf Manzil described Naviwala as someone who kept to himself but there was “nothing suspicious about him”. “He left around 11 every morning, and rarely came back late. His height is about 5’6”, drives an XUV car and seems well off. He has been staying here for a long time, and relatives visit him often,” said the security guard. Situated in a dingy chawl in Phophalwadi, Pydhonie, Altaf Qureshi’s residence for the last eight years was a small room, situated on the second floor. The chawl lacks ventilation and the stairs leading up to his room are crumbling. Each floor contained about half a dozen rooms, with a common lavatory. Qureshi was arrested by the same team Wednesday night. The ground floor of the chawl and the narrow lane that leads up to it house goldsmiths and shops selling kitchenware. Bustling in the day, the area quietens after 7 pm when the shopkeepers down their shutters. Neighbours don’t recall Qureshi visiting the house often, and said he kept to himself too. His arrest was swift, and the neighbours said there wasn’t any more noise than usual. Most of them were not aware of the arrest, and found out about it only the following morning. “The arrest took place in front of lane 3, after all the shops had shut. The arrest was quick and a handful of police personnel escorted him. Qureshi didn’t seem to resist, and was generally silent,” said a security guard at lane 3, who did not wish to be named.
