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The National Investigation Agency has alleged fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim had sent a "huge amount of money" through hawala channels to accused arrested in a case pertaining to aiding terrorist activities of 'D-Company' in India.
These activities related to carrying out terrorist attacks in Mumbai and other parts of India to strike fear among people.
The D-Company has established a special unit to strike terror in people of India by attacking eminent personalities, including political leaders and businesspersons, the probe agency further claimed.
The NIA has made these claims in a charge-sheet filed last week before a special court in Mumbai in the case related to a global terrorist network and a transnational organised criminal syndicate, namely D-Company, which it claimed is involved in various terrorist and criminal activities in India.
The D-Company refers to the network of the underworld don and one of the most wanted terrorists in India, Dawood Ibrahim.
Ibrahim and his close aide Chhota Shakeel have been shown as wanted accused in the charge-sheet, in which the NIA has named five accused.
The three others charge-sheeted in the case are Arif Abubakar Shaikh, Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh and Mohammad Salim Qureshi -- all Mumbai residents and arrested in the case.
The central probe agency claimed that evidence collected during investigation revealed the arrested as well as wanted accused were “active members” of an organized crime syndicate working as a terrorist gang.
"It is established that the arrested accused persons also received a huge amount of money through Hawala (an illegal method for transferring money) from the absconding accused, based abroad. It is evident from the statement of witness and previous conduct of absconding wanted accused (Ibrahim and Shakeel) that the money is meant for planning and triggering some big/sensational incidents (terrorist acts) in Mumbai and other parts of India so as to create terror and panic in the minds of people," said the NIA.
Further, the investigation revealed Rs 25 lakh in cash was sent to arrested accused Arif Shaikh and Shabbir Shaikh through hawala channel from Pakistan via Dubai to Mumbai, it said.
The probe agency claimed the arrested duo had received money from Shakeel at the instance of Ibrahim which was proceeds of terrorism.
It further alleged the D-Company under Ibrahim and his associates has established a special unit for striking terror in people by attacking eminent personalities in India, including political leaders and businesspersons, by using explosive/firearms and other lethal weapons.
The gang was planning to instigate and trigger incidents which may lead to onset of violence in various parts of India, including the National Capital Region, Mumbai and other major cities, the NIA said.
The anti-terror agency said its investigation has also revealed the nature of illegal activities performed by the arrested accused and other members of the organized crime syndicate was not limited to gaining pecuniary benefits, but also to obtain undue economic or other advantage.
The NIA investigation revealed that in 2011 and thereafter, accused Salim Qureshi, on the directions of Shakeel and Ibrahim, had grabbed unnamed original allotment letters of two flats in Mumbai by threatening the victims.
The flats, valued at around Rs 2.70 crore, were taken as a token of assurance from the victims against demand of extortion, the NIA said.
Similarly, Qureshi, also known as 'Salim Fruit', had extorted Rs 53.75 lakh from another victim by putting him in fear of death and grievous hurt. Qureshi was one of the main persons handling terrorism and criminal activities of the D-Company, it said.
The NIA claimed there were several instances, wherein the arrested and wanted accused were furthering the activities of D-Company by extorting money and thereby raising/collecting funds for terrorist activities.