Mumbai: Screws are tightening on India's most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim as the Dubai Police are soon expected to deport 12 of his trusted aides, including two key accused of the 1993 Mumbai bombings, a senior police official here said Thursday.
The development comes close on the heels of reports that the mobster was under increasing pressure to leave Pakistan. Reports also said Dawood had suffered a heart attack a couple of weeks ago.
"His men in the United Arab Emirate, their erstwhile safe heaven in the Gulf, are also under pressure," said the senior Mumbai Crime Branch official.
The official who spoke to IANS on condition of anonymity said that after the deportation of 10 Dawood gang members November 21, the Dubai police rounded up 30 more aides of Dawood's trusted lieutenant Chhota Shakeel and 12 of them were being sent to Mumbai shortly.
"Those to be deported by the Dubai authorities include two key absconding accused wanted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings - Yakub Yeda and Javed Chikna," the official said.
"We wrote to the Dubai authorities after we came to know of their detention. Earlier we had given them a list of the accused who were involved in various cases in Mumbai."
"The dozen will be brought back to Mumbai in a special Indian Air Force plane shortly," he added.
Chikna, a close aide of absconding 1993 blast mastermind Tiger Memon, is charged with recruiting men for arms and explosive training in Pakistan, while Yeda is wanted for his involvement in landing 80 cartons of RDX used in the bombings at coastal Shekhandi in Raigad district of Maharashtra and transporting them to a Mumbai warehouse.
The serial bombings across India's financial and entertainment capital claimed 257 lives.
After the blasts, both had sought refuge at the palatial bungalow of Salim Durani, a Rhodes scholar who was convicted by the special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Preventive) Act court.
The other gang members likely to be sent back include Kayum Chhacha, Yasuf Batka and Javed Muder, the official added.
Batka is also wanted in the 1993 blast case for receiving arms and explosive training in Pakistan.
Javed Muder is wanted in the murder of a police constable during the 1992-93 Mumbai riots, while Kayum is wanted in connection with the murder of businessman Gulshan Kumar, the official said.
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