Man held for Mirchi deals belongs to famous Mumbai family

MUMBAI: Haroun Aleem Yusuf, currently in ED custody for helping

Iqbal Mirchi

launder money through sale of properties, comes from a family which spearheaded navigation and shipping in western India.


His grandfather was shipping mogul and philanthropist Sir Mohamed Yusuf (1876-1965) who established a marine training college at Nhava Island, marine museum at Nhava and the Ismail Yusuf College at Jogeshwari.

The family made its fortune through

marine trade

, and its patriarchs are entombed at one of the highest spots in Mumbai. On Tuesday, TOI visited Ma Hajiani Dargah perched on a rocky outcrop opposite

Haji Ali Dargah

.

A couple of black safari-clad security guards man the gate of the mosque and dargah. Stone steps lead to the dargah's sanctum made of white marble with an oval-shaped dome and stained glass windows. A burqa-clad woman sits near saint's grave, seeking blessings. Red shawls shroud three graves - of Ma Hajiani, sister of Haji Ali (Haji Ali Dargah trustee Sohail Khandwani, however, denied any relation with Ma Hajiani and Haji Ali), Sir Mohamed Yusuf and his father Haji Ismail Hasham Yusuf. A website says Ma Hajiani was Haji Ismail Hashan Yusuf's mother, but TOI couldn't verify it.

White stone plaques inform that Haji Ismail Hasham Yusuf built the shrine in 1908. He was buried here in 1912 and his son Sir Mohamed Yusuf too was buried between the graves of his father and Ma Hajiani.

From the dargah's courtyard, an earthmover can be seen picking up the debris of a demolished building below, near the highrise, Samudra Mahal. That plot is alleged to have been sold to Mirchi by Haroun, who was chairman of Sir Mohamed Yusuf Trust that owns family properties. Neither the guards nor a manager at Worli property would say much about trustees or family, except pointing us to

Nhava House

. A family source told TOI: "Haroun manipulated papers and forged documents. We are taking legal opinion before we speak to press."

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