Underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim (files)
THE MUMBAI Police Crime Branch on Thursday arrested a hawala operator from south Mumbai whose services were allegedly used by Anees Ibrahim, brother of underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim, to pay a sharpshooter arrested last week.
The police said they recovered Rs 93 lakh from the residence of Harish Gyanchandani. Last week, the crime branch had arrested Ramdas Rahane, an alleged shooter linked to the Dawood Ibrahim gang, for threatening to kill a Mumbai-based hotelier.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Dilip Sawant said: “We arrested Harish Gyanchandani, an angadia, through whom Anees Ibrahim passed on the money to Rahane who had been arrested last week. Gyanchandani had paid Rs 3.55 lakh to Ramdas. He was produced in the court and remanded in police custody till July 2. The police said they recovered Rs 93 lakh from the Bhuleshwar residence of Gyanchandani that they believe was passed onto him by Anees Ibrahim.
The police said while Rahane works at the behest of the Dawood gang, recently, the gangster’s brother Anees has become more active. “Even in the current case, the threats were made at the behest of Anees. Earlier, it was Chhota Shakeel who would order hits at the behest of the Dawood gang,” an officer said. The police said they will be questioning Gyanchandani.
Rahane has 11 cases registered against him and was wanted by the police for his alleged involvement in the attempt on the life of builder Manish Dholakia in Mumbai in 2011. But security guards in the builder’s office intervened and one of them, Ajit Yerulkar, was killed after being shot by the attackers, who then fled.