Delhi: The Crime Branch of Mumbai Police on Monday arrested Riyaz Bhati, an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, in an extortion case. The Anti Extortion Cell of Crime Branch has arrested the accused from Andheri West. He will be produced in court on Tuesday in a case of extortion and threat to murder.
Riyaz Bhati is wanted in Mumbai’s Versova Police Station in connection with the Bhati extortion case. Officials said Bhati had threatened to kill a Versova businessman along with Mohammed Salim Iqbal Qureshi (aka Salim Fruit) – a close relative of Chhota Shakeel. They also recovered a car worth Rs 30 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh in cash from the victim.
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Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Chhota Shakeel and his relative Salim Fruit are also named in the FIR. Salim Fruit was earlier arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case against D Company Syndicate. He is currently in judicial custody.
Mumbai Police arrested Dawood’s aide Riyaz Bhati
On getting a significant lead over Riyaz Bhati, the AEC team laid a trap and caught the accused from Andheri on Monday. Bhati was arrested after questioning at the AEC office. Police will produce him in court today and seek his custody.
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Earlier, Bhati has been arrested in many cases including extortion, land grabbing and firing. He had tried to flee the country using fake passports in 2015 and 2020 as well. In 2021, a case of extortion was registered against him at Goregaon police station in Mumbai. He was made an accused along with former Mumbai Police Chief Param Bir Singh in the extortion case.
Bhati approached the court after the case was registered, but his anticipatory bail plea was rejected. The Mumbai Sessions Court observed that Bhati’s custodial interrogation is necessary in the case in view of his criminal history.
