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Journalism of Courage
The father-in-law of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar—India’s most wanted man—has been detained by the Mumbai Crime Branch for his alleged connection to a Rs 2.6 lakh extortion case.
Salim Kashmiri (56) was picked up late on Wednesday night from his Pakmodia Street home in South Mumbai and taken to the police headquarters at Crawford Market.
He was there all day on Thursday, being questioned directly by Deputy Commissioner of Police (crime) Dhananjay Kamlakar and Joint Commissioner (Crime) Meera Borwankar.
Kashmiri’s daughter, Mahjabeen, married Dawood in the 80s and is said to be living with the don in an undisclosed location in Karachi, Pakistan. Kashmiri is believed to have spoken with Dawood during recent visits to Dubai and Karachi.
Crime Branch officials were tight-lipped about their reasons for detaining Kashmiri, but Newsline has learned that it is in connection with a two-year-old extortion case.
Two other men, Jamruddin alias Jambo alias Kaliya Gulam Panchari (36) and Rajesh Laxminarayan Panchari (36) — both henchmen of Dawood’s brother Anees — were arrested for their roles in the case on October 10.
The case dates back to February 2002 when Panchari ordered the owners of an import-export company called Nimex Trading Corporation to buy and ship five sachet-sealing machines to Karachi via Dubai for a gutka-manufacturing plant Anees planned to start.
When Nimex’s owners, Parvez Abdul Khatri and Shaikh Arife, refused, Panchari threatened them with a pistol. They bought the machines—for Rs 2.6 lakh.
With the alleged help of Kashmiri, Panchari then forced the partners to clear the machines through customs. After the machines were exported, he threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the incident.
Police are also looking for one Farooq Mansuri, who claimed the consignment in Dubai and exported it to Anees in Karachi.
