Mumbai Police arrest 5 people linked to Dawood Ibrahim's gang

Mumbai: The Mumbai Crime Branch on Tuesday arrested five people linked to fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim's 'D' company in connection with an extortion case, a police official said.

The police's anti-extortion cell (AEC) had recently arrested gangster Chhota Shakeel's brother in law Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit and businessman Riyaz Bhati in an extortion case and charged them under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), he said.

During further probe into the case, the role of five more people -- Ajay Ganda, Feroz Chamda, Sameer Khan, Papa Pathan and Amjad Redkar -- came to light and hence they were nabbed, the official said.

Riyaz Bhati, who is said to be have links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested last month in connection with an extortion case registered at the Versova police station in Mumbai, he said.

A businessman from Versova was threatened and a car valued at Rs 30 lakh and cash worth Rs 7.5 lakh were demanded from him, the police earlier said.

Ibrahim's close aide Chhota Shakeel and Shakeel's relative Salim Fruit were also been named in the FIR.

The AEC recently took the custody of Salim Fruit from the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which had arrested him for allegedly aiding Dawood Ibrahim gang's terrorist activities.