Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother Iqbal Kaskar and Ejaz Pathan, a suspect in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, were flown into Mumbai late tonight after being deported from Dubai. Soon after their arrival, they were questioned by the CBI, which is handling the serial blast case, and intelligence agencies inside the airport building, Mumbai Police Joint Commissioner Sridhar Wagal said. They will be produced in a court tomorrow. A chronicle of arrests abroad 1996: Dawood Ibrahim’s younger brother Anees detained at Bahrain airport. 1997: Abu Salem’s incarceration in the United Arab Emirates after tip-off. 1998: Anees, 28 others detained in Dubai on November 14 after murder of former associate. 2000: Abu Salem detained in Sharjah after an Interpol alert and notice. 2001: Bangalore’s Muthappa Rai deported. Remotely linked to Dawood. 2002: Aftab Ansari deported to India in February. Linked to banned Jaish-e-Mohammed. 2002: Anees detained again in Dubai in December. Let off, flees to Pakistan. 2003: Dawood former key associate Shakil Mursalim Shaikh alias Lamboo Shakil arrested on January 7. He had escaped to Dubai in 1987. 2003: Imran Khan, accused in Ghatkopar blast (Dec 2002), deported on Jan 9 from Dubai. 2003: Imran Khan’s associate Mohammed Altaf deported from Dubai on Jan 26. The deportation of the two men is regarded as a success for India, which has been pressuring Dubai ever since more than 150 underworld suspects were detained after the killing of Dawood aide Sharad Shetty on January 19. The two men were among those caught in the sweeps. Four days ago, a team from the Intelligence Bureau went to Dubai with a request for the deportation of the two men, as well as another of Dawood’s brothers, Noora, still in Dubai Police custody. It isn’t clear what the actual charges are against Iqbal — also known as Iqbal Sheikh — fourth of seven brothers of the Kaskar family, all sons of a former Mumbai police constable. Pathan, however, is accused of smuggling a large cache of AK-56 assault rifles into the country ahead of the serial bombings of 1993. His name also figures in some murder cases before he broke away from mentor Dawood some time in 1999. Heavily-armed police units made a beeline for the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to pick up the two men. Iqbal is considered very close to Dawood and was believed to be assisting the don in the gold smuggling business. Like other brothers Anees, Noora and Mustakeen, he escaped to Dubai around 1988. Pathan too followed Dawood to Dubai after the Mumbai police were hot on his trail in 1988. He later followed his mentor to Karachi before he left the D- Company. Crime Branch sources in Mumbai said Pathan’s deportation has not come as a surprise, particularly, after he split from Dawood.
