A key Dawood Ibrahim aide and one of the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case was arrested in Mumbai on Thursday following a joint operation by Valsad police and Mumbai Crime Branch. Israul Haque alias Ijju Haji Abdul Hamid Sheikh, who has been absconding for over a decade, was arrested from a hotel on Andheri-Kurla Road.Sheikh has been brought to Valsad under heavy security. The gangster faces charges under Sections 121 (A), 122/123, 120 (B) and 34 of the IPC, section 25 1 (A) of the Arms Act, Section 9 B under the Explosives Act, Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Explosive Substances Act and Section 345 of TADA.Sheikh was arrested for his role in transporting RDX, weapons and ammunition from Pakistan to Gujarat in 1993. Police said the consignment, which landed at Fansa village in Umargaon taluka of Valsad and Gosabara village in Porbandar, was taken to Mumbai where it was reportedly used by don Dawood Ibrahim for the serial blasts.Following this, Sheikh left the country on a fake passport.‘‘Sheikh has been on the list of most wanted persons for the past 13 years. His arrest is a major breakthrough in the case,’’ said SP (Valsad) Abhay Chudasama, who was tipped off about Sheikh’s whereabouts three days ago.‘‘Ijju Sheikh, a resident of Dhanoli village in Valsad, was an active Congress worker. A former sarpanch, Sheikh’s life changed following riots sparked off by the Babri Masjid demolition. He joined Dawood Ibrahim to take revenge for the death of fellow Muslims,’’ said the police.
