Iqbal Mirchi probes shows how Dawood Ibrahim still controls Mumbai

Bengaluru, May 28: The Iqbal Mirchi case which is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate will not be just about property deals and money laundering. It is not just about the sale of the Worli Sea facing property alone, but three other properties all amounting to Rs 3000 crore which has been parked in Europe, an enforcement directorate official tells OneIndia.

The big question before the investigators is not only about the investment of this money in Europe, but there is an interesting trail which goes on to clearly show how the who is who in Mumbai were bought over to finalise these deals.

The property deal:

It is a well known fact that Mirchi was just the face of the Dawood Ibrahim empire. The Dawood syndicate began expanding operations in the year 2010 and decided that it would invest money in Europe and Dubai. There was a need to sell off four properties in Mumbai which had not come under the scanner of the police and the intelligence bureau.

A hurried operation was undertaken in the year 2010 where Mirchi through his aides began selling property in a hurry. Four sea facing properties in Mumbai amounting to Rs 1200 crore were sold off in quick time and the money moved out of India and parked in Europe.

What the ED is interested in finding out is how did these property deals go through with such ease. Under the scanner is an ex-top cop of Mumbai, a corporator and a minister. The ED is probing the trail of money which reached the above mentioned three persons and they suspect that there was a transaction ranging between Rs 25 to Rs 30 crore. This money could have reached these very influential people which in turn helped Mirchi dispose off these properties, investigators tell Oneindia.

Re-investing in Europe and Dubai:

The D syndicate has several properties in Mumbai and most of them have come under the scanner. Despite these properties being put up for auction there were no buyers for very obvious reasons. In many cases, the D gang itself has sent in their men to bid in auctions and quote very low prices. This was very evident when a mansion belonging to Mirchi in Madhya Pradesh was auctioned off for just Rs 4 crore.

It was only later did the police realize that Mirchi had sent his own man to bid for the property for such a low cost when the actual value was easily around Rs 20 crore to Rs 30 crore. However, in the case of the sea facing properties in Mumbai, the D gang through Mirchi attempted a legitmate deal. They ensured that they chose the right persons in the establishment in the year 2010 and ensured that the deals went though smoothly.

The D gang which was looking to expand its real estate business in other parts of the world wanted the money to come from properties only. Hence, it was decided to sell off these Mumbai properties in a hurry and invest the same money in Europe and Dubai. While in Europe Mirchi undertook the laundering of money in Dubai, it was Dawood who oversaw all the operations. The most recent call made by Dawood suggests that he was speaking to someone in Dubai in connection with a property deal.

Dawood controls Mumbai even today:

Several Intelligence Bureau officials who are tracking Dawood Ibrahim tell OneIndia that the don still has a major clout in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. A call that was made by a Dawood aide Asif Memon who incidentally is the son of Iqbal Mirchi confirms that the clout in Mumbai is very much active.

A conversation about a bribe being paid off to an ex top cop is an indicator that the a large part of the establishment is still under the grip of the don. This has been one of the biggest stumbling blocks for any intelligence official tracking the Dawood case. There are still many from Maharashtra who tip him and his gang off, an officer says.

While the situation is relatively better now, an officer with the Research and Analysis Wing said that there was a time when information to the Mumbai police on Dawood would be selectively given. There have been many times that officials from Delhi had to be sent down to track a Dawood operation as 7 out of 10 times information given to the Maharashtra police would be leaked.

OneIndia News