Author:
Publication: The Times of India
Date: February 21, 2003
Encouraged by the deportations
of Dawood Ibrahim's brother Iqbal Kaskar and notorious gangster Ejaz Pathan
by the Dubai authorities on Wednesday night, the Centre is mounting pressure
on the United Arab Emirates government to deport 15 other gangsters, including
big-timers Mustafa Majnoon and Mohammed Dossa, to India.
The government has also sought US
assistance to put pressure on the Pervez Musharraf government to deport
Dawood, his brothers Anees and Noora and aide Chhota Shakeel to India.
However, Islamabad seems reluctant to do so as Dawood and his associates
are reportedly working for the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Police commissioner R.S. Sharma
told reporters on Thursday that more deportations were likely from Dubai
in the coming weeks. There are indications that the Dubai authorities may
want to rid the emirate of gangsters before any US attack on Iraq. The
Dubai police are keen to ensure total peace in their jurisdiction in the
event of a war in the neighbourhood. Sources said the Dubai police would
have deported the gangsters even without any pressure from New Delhi.
Following the murder of Dawood aide
Sharad Shetty at the Indian Club by the Chhota Rajan gang late last month,
the Dubai police authorities cracked the whip on the D-gang and detained
over 100 gangsters.
On Thursday, a metropolitan court
at Ballard Estate remanded Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar (43) to police custody
until March 6. Iqbal has been accused of killing customs informer Ravindra
Singh near the GPO in September 1998. Besides Iqbal, seven others, including
Noora, are wanted by the MRA Marg police in connection with the murder.
Meanwhile, Ejaz Mohammed Sharif
alias Ejaz Pathan (49), an accused in the Mumbai blasts, was produced before
Tada judge Pramod Kode and remanded to CBI custody until February 27.
