Ejaz Lakdawala''s cousin held in Rs 1 cr extortion case

Mumbai: Gangster Ejaz Lakdawala’s cousin brother has been arrested from the Mumbai international airport in a case of alleged extortion of Rs one crore from a builder, police said on Sunday.

“After a real estate developer from suburban Bandra lodged a police complaint on February 5, the anti-extortion cell (AEC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch started an investigation and nabbed Nadeem Abdul Sattar Lakdawala (49) on Saturday,” a police official said.

“Ejaz Lakdawala has already been arrested in the same case by the Crime Branch,” he said.

The complainant was receiving extortion calls for Rs one crore since the last six months following which he approached the police.

When the AEC officials quizzed Ejaz Lakdawala, who was already arrested in January by Mumbai Police, about the extortion case pertaining to the complainant, the gangster revealed the name of his cousin.

According to police, Nadeem Lakdawala provided details of the real estate developer to the gangster.

“The Crime Branch swung into action and launched a massive search for Nadeem Lakdawala, but got to know he was not in India,” the official said.

“Later, the police issued a lookout circular against Nadeem Lakdawala and when he arrived at the international airport here on Saturday night, the police took him into custody,” he said.

He was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 387 (putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention).

“During the probe, the Crime Branch came to know that Nadeem Lakdawala played the “middleman” in setting up meetings in Dubai between Ejaz Lakdawala and a few people whom the gangster was harassing,: the official said.

“Nadeem Lakdawala took advantage of his close relationship with the gangster,” he said.

After his arrest, Nadeem Lakdawala was on Sunday produced in a local court which remanded him in police custody till March 3.

The Mumbai Police earlier nabbed Ejaz Lakdawala from Patna in Bihar on January 9, and on his revelation, his associates Tariq Parveen and Salim Penwala were also arrested.

“There are already seven extortion cases registered against Ejaz Lakdawala in Mumbai. Parveen is an accused in two of those cases while Penwala is an accused in three cases,” the official said.

Ejaz Lakdawala was earlier an aide of gangster Chhota Rajan, but parted ways with him in 2008 and formed his own gang.