Close aide of Dawood’s brother arrested from Kannur airport

In a prize catch, anti-extortion cell (AEC) of Mumbai Police have nabbed a close aide of fugitive Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees Ibrahim from Kannur airport in Kerala after he landed from Dubai, an official said on Tuesday.

The aide, Mohammed Altaf Abdul Latif Saeed, 52, looks after international operations on behalf of the younger brother of Dawood and also runs hawala operations for him. He was in touch with all gangsters based abroad and India, the official added.

"Saeed, who used to stay in Vashi in Navi Mumbai, was held by the sleuths of Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of crime branch when he landed at Kannur airport from Dubai on Monday," the official said.

After detaining him, the AEC officials brought Saeed to Mumbai where he was arrested after interrogation, he said. Saeed was produced before the special MCOCA court here which remanded him in police custody till Friday.

The official said Saeed has been wanted in connection with an extortion case of 2017-18 in which Anees had threatened a hotelier from South Mumbai.

After the hotelier started ignoring Anees' calls, his accomplice Ramdas Rahane started threatening him, the official said. Police had arrested four gangsters, including a hawala operator, after the hotelier approached the crime branch.

Police had invoked stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the four.

"Saeed's name cropped up during interrogation as he is the henchman of Anees who takes care of the latter's international operations from Dubai and stays with the gangster," the official said.

Police had received an input that Saeed had obtained two Indian passports and frequents between India and Dubai.

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