Ten Dawood aides deported from UAE

Mumbai, Nov 21: In a major blow to India's most wanted underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, ten of his accomplices were deported to Mumbai from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last night.

All the ten accused, wanted by the Mumbai police, were immediately arrested by the Crime Branch at the international airport early today as they alighted from the plane, sources said.

Arif, married to a sister of mobster Chota Shakeel, and an absconding accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts in the city, are among the deportees.

Crime Branch officials, however, refused to comment on the deportees and their arrest.

Earlier, the UAE authorities had deported Iqbal Sheikh Kaskar, younger brother of Dawood Ibrahim, and Ejaz Pathan, a close aide of the underworld, who was convicted by the designated TADA court here yesterday for his involvement in the 1993 serial blasts.

Recently, Abdul Rashid Hussaini Putter, also of the Dawood gang, was deported from Dubai to facilitate a probe into his alleged involvement in a fake currency racket in the metropolis.

India and the UAE had signed an extradition treaty in 1999 for seeking the extradition of Win Chadha, an accused in the Bofors case.

The treaty provides a legal framework for seeking the extradition of terrorists, economic offenders and other criminals from the UAE.

As a result, it will be possible to serve summons and the judicial authority of both the countries, on each other's request, can execute decrees and arbitration awards passed in the territory of the other.

UNI

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