Police on Thursday claimed that they had presented 'clinching' evidence to a court in Mumbai to prove that fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar was in touch with and had paid Rs 10 lakh to the Shukla brothers, who had rights to redevelop a slum in this city.
"We presented a receipt for Rs 10 lakh issued by Baba Shukla to Haseena for blocking the plot to the court on Wednesday," a senior officer of the Anti Extortion Cell told PTI.
Haseena, charged with cheating, forgery and extortion, has said that she does not know the Shukla brothers and that she is being framed for being Dawood's sister.
Vinod Avalani, a real estate agent, filed the case against Haseena and seven others after a redevelopment deal in central Mumbai went sour. He alleged that Haseena did not return Rs 30 lakh paid as advance and threatened him with dire consequences if he continued to ask for the money to be returned.
The Rs 10 lakh was paid as a 'blocking amount' so that Shuklas' Buildtech Developers did not pass the redevelopment rights to any other developer while Haseena managed to get a developer in return for a commission, the officer alleged.
"Apart from that, we also submitted mobile phone records to the court, which suggest that Haseena made at least 150 calls to Baba Shukla in August and September 2006 when the deal was being struck," he said.
A non-bailable warrant was issued against Haseena on May 10 by a court in Mumbai after police were unable to trace her. She later surrendered on May 22.
The court granted bail to her and asked her to be present at the Anti-Extortion Cell's office for 30 working days for questioning, and this period ended on Thursday.
According to police, Haseena has not been cooperating with her interrogators.
"Haseena mortgaged jewellery worth Rs five lakh with a Bandra jeweller in spite of having sufficient money in her bank while her driver Shamim Qureshi mortgaged jewellery and sold a small shop to raise the Rs 10 lakh that was paid to the Shuklas," the officer alleged.
The receipt was allegedly issued on August 10 last year on the letterhead of Buildtech by Shukla and has his signature, the officer said.
The signature has been sent to a handwriting expert for verification.
However, Haseena's lawyer Shyam Keswani said, "How have they stumbled upon the receipt out of the blue? It is doctored and will not have any impact on the case. And if it is true, let them tell it through an affidavit."
Two builders -- Krishnamilan alias Baba Shukla and his brother Sandeep -- were in need of finance for the redevelopment project. They entered into a deal with the Ravi Group of builders whom Avalani was representing.
Police are focussing on growing instances of crimes in the lucrative slum redevelopment projects after tackling gangsters and terrorists.
