A court at Bhiwandi in Maharashtra's Thane district has remanded Iqbal Kaskar, brother of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) custody for one day in a drugs case. Magistrate M M Mali on Friday remanded Kaskar in the anti-drugs agency's custody.

Kaskar's alleged involvement in the case surfaced following the recent seizure of 27 kg of hashish. The NCB officials had sought his custody for examination in the case, an official has said. The NCB had recently arrested seven persons in two cases in which 27 kg hashish was recovered. During the investigation, it came to light that the narcotics drug was sourced from Jammu and Kashmir. Also, the alleged role of Kaskar, lodged in a Thane jail, surfaced in the case, following which his custody was sought.

"On perusal of the remand report and case diary, it appears that the case is of serious nature triable by the special court. Hence, sufficient opportunity of investigation is required," the magistrate said while handing over his custody to the NCB. In 2017, the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Thane police had arrested Kaskar in connection with an extortion case. He had been deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2003. Kaskar was said to be operating his brother's real estate business in Mumbai. The Thane police had earlier booked him under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA) Act.