1992 shootout: Dawood ‘aide’ sent to police custody

A sessions court in Mumbai has sent Mohammed Farooq Yasin Mansoor, an alleged aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in police custody till April 27. (File)

A sessions court in Mumbai has sent Mohammed Farooq Yasin Mansoor, an alleged aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in police custody till April 27 for his alleged involvement in the 1992 J J Hospital shootout. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch had sought custody of Farooq, who was also an absconding accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, claiming that Farooq had helped other accused escape after the shootout at the hospital. Farooq was extradited from the United Arab Emirates last month.

In 1992, two men Shailesh Haldankar and Bipin Shere were arrested in an attempt to murder case. Since the two were injured, they were admitted to JJ Hospital, said sources. They were being guarded by police constables of VP Road police station. According to the Crime Branch, on September 12, 1992, at around 3.45 am, unknown assailants entered the hospital with arms, including AK 47, pistol and revolver and carried out a shootout on the second floor of the hospital. In the attack, two police constables on security duty lost their lives and many others were injured. A case was registered at Byculla police station for offences including murder, criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and other sections of the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act.

The police claimed that the shootout was a fallout of the murder of Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew Ibrahim. The alleged murder was carried out by Arun Gawli and his gang and hence it was decided to kill Haldankar and Shere, members of the Gawli gang, said police. The police claimed that Farooq had also participated in the conspiracy and had helped other accused escape custody. He was named as an absconding accused and chargesheeted in 1993. He was also declared as a proclaimed offender subsequently and a non-bailable warrant was issued against him.

While seeking his custody, the police told the court that through Farooq, they want to know the whereabouts of other absconding accused, including Dawood. The police said that since they suspected that Farooq was in touch with Dawood from the landline telephone at his home, they want to investigate further on this aspect related to the conspiracy.