Mumbai police arrest Salem accomplices

S Ahmed Ali / TNN / Dec 13, 2005, 02:44 IST

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Mumbai police on Monday arrested two key members of his gang - an old friend of underworld don Dawood.

MUMBAI: The noose appears to be tightening around Abu Salem. Mumbai police on Monday arrested two key members of his gang - an old friend of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim who was deported from Dubai and later jumped bail and a man who allegedly collected extortion money on Salem's behalf.
To add to the euphoria, investigators have also managed to lay their hands on Salem's driver, making it a rare hat-trick for the cops.
Riyaz Ahmed Siddiqui, 52, was picked up from Millat Nagar in Jogeshwari while Naeem Khan, 42, arrived from Dubai, apparently on his own, and surrendered before the police.
Both were arrested and booked under Tada in connection with builder Pradeep Jain's murder, which police has sought to focus on in an attempt to build a watertight case against Salem.

The third arrest, which is likely to be announced on Tuesday, is of Mohammed Mehndi Hassan alias Sunny, who is expected to throw light on the period before Salem fled the country.
The Naeem Khan surrender, in particular, raised eyebrows given the drawn-out efforts that are usually undertaken to have criminals deported by UAE. Announcing the arrests, police commissioner A N Roy said Naeem was absconding since a decade.

"He didn't surrender. We arrested him. If he wanted to surrender why did it take him 10 years?" Roy asked. "We have been tracking them for the last two weeks," said Roy, adding there were no conditions attached to Naeem's surrender.
Naeem is believed to have played a key role in extorting money from Pradeep Jain, who was later murdered in 1995. Naeem's role came to light only through Salem's recent interrogation in custody.
Salem told the anti-terrorist squad that it was Naeem, who took Rs 20 lakh (of extortion money) from Mumbai to Dubai.
Naeem, an old member of the D-gang, was popularly known as 'Naeem T R' due to his expertise in running a Transfer of Residence racket.
He, along with his brother Saleem, was also allegedly involved in the business of importing sports utility vehicles (SUVs) via Dubai by evading duty.

About the Author

S Ahmed Ali

S Ahmed Ali, principal correspondent at The Times of India, Mumbai, covers crime and related isues but sometimes he also takes up offbeat subjects. His interests: automobiles particularly bikes, and gymming.

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