The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday filed a chargesheet against three arrested and two wanted accused, including fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in a case related to D-company, which is involved in various terrorist and criminal activities.

Apart from Ibrahim, a UN-designated global terrorist and Shakeel (both hiding in Pakistan), three other associates arrested by the NIA recently named in the charge sheet are Arif Abubakar Shaikh alias Arif Bhaijaan, Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh and Mohammad Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit.

An NIA spokesperson said in a statement that “Investigations have established that the accused persons who are members of the D-Company, a terrorist gang and an organized crime syndicate, had conspired to further the criminal activities of the gang by carrying out various types of unlawful activities. In furtherance of the said conspiracy, they raised, collected and extorted huge amounts of money by threatening and by putting person(s) in fear of death or grievous hurt, for the D-Company, for the benefit of an individual terrorist (Dawood Ibrahim) in the instant case, and with the intention to threaten the security of India and create terror in the minds of the general public”.

“It has also been established that the arrested accused persons received huge amounts of money through hawala channels, from the absconding/wanted accused based abroad, meant for triggering sensational terrorist/criminal acts) in Mumbai and other parts of India to create terror in the minds of people. The accused persons were holding/in possession of the said ‘proceeds of terrorism’,” the statement added.

In August, the NIA arrested Salim Fruit in connection with a case registered by the agency in February. In 2016, Mumbai police arrested Arif Bhaijaan and his Brother Shabbir Sheikh.

NIA had announced a reward of ₹25 lakh on Ibrahim in August.

Based in Karachi, Pakistan, and wanted for multiple terror activities in India including 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Ibrahim also has a bounty of $25 million on his head announced by the United Nations Security Council in 2003.

He is among India’s most wanted men along with LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, Hizbul Mujahideen boss Syed Salahuddin and JeM number 2 Abdul Rauf Asghar.

Image source: Hindustan Times