Gutka case to come up on Mar 2 before MCOCA court

Mumbai, Feb 26 (UNI) The supplementary chargesheet filed by CBI before Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) Judge Ashok Bhangale in the 'Gutka' case would come up for hearing on March two.

Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian said now the central investigating agency is free to arrest gutka barons - Rasiklal Dhariwal of Manikchand and Jagdish Joshi of Goa Gutka, as the city police commissioner has given sanction to book them under MCOCA, in connection with the duo's nexus with the underworld.

She said, in case they were not produced before the court on March two, the court will issue appropriate orders in this regard.

In August last year, the MCOCA court had held that there was prima facie evidence of the gutka barons helping the underworld.

''The materials disclosed so far indicate illegal acts and omissions'' which may amount to aiding and abetting unlawful activities of the organised crime syndicate of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, assisted by his brother Noora Ibrahim Kaskar and others operating from Dubai and Karachi through their henchmen in Mumbai.

The CBI had initially filed a chargesheet against four accomplices of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim for allegedly exporting gutka manufacturing machines to Karachi to produce and sell tobacco products in the neighbouring country.

The persons already chargesheeted in the case are - Anees Ibrahim, Jamruddin alias Jumbo, Rajesh Pancharia and Farooq Mansoori, who had allegedly been supplying pouch making machinery to Pakistan.

Incidentally, Jumbo had told the CBI during interrogation that Dhariwal and Joshi had links with underworld and they had helped the gangsters to set up gutka manufacturing unit in Karachi.

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