Minutes after the magistrate court remanded him in judicial custody in an earlier case, gangster Ejaz Lakdawala was arrested in yet another case of extortion. Caught from Patna in Bihar on January 8, this is the third case in which Lakdawala has been arrested. The gangster is booked in 31 cases of extortion.
“Lakdawala will be produced in the metropolitan magistrate court on Tuesday,” said an official from the anti-extortion cell (AEC). “The gangster had called a Mumbai-based builder several times in December last year. The builder had given a written application against Lakdawala. After Lakdawala’s arrest, we verified the incident and the application was converted into a first information report (FIR) under section 387 (putting person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion) and he was arrested,” said an AEC official.
Lakdawala’s lawyer Devanand Manerkar, who is also representing his daughter, Sonia, has moved a bail application for her. Sonia was arrested from the Mumbai international airport on December 28, 2019, when she was trying to flee Nepal on a fake passport, along with her 11-month-old daughter. After an inquiry, the police arrested her again on January 6, for threatening and extorting a builder in Bandra. Sonia’s arrest led the AEC to Lakdawala. Sonia is currently in judicial custody. “The court has rejected Sonia’s bail application on the grounds that the case is sensitive,” said Manerkar.
Lakdawala was brought to Mumbai and first arrested in the same case in which his daughter Sonia was named as accused. After his police custody in the first case ended on January 21, the AEC arrested him on the same day for allegedly threatening and demanding ₹2 crore from a businessman in Jogeshwari in 2016. The businessman had refused to give extortion money, so Lakdawala ordered an attack on him. But the AEC foiled the attack and arrested the five accused. Currently, they are in jail.
Meanwhile, the AEC arrested Salim Furniturwala alias Salim Maharaj alias Salim Penwala alias Salim Dadhi, a police informer, in connection with an extortion case, along with Lakdawala. “Salim’s role came to light after the interrogation of Lakdawala. He allegedly provided the identity of the victims and contacts to Lakdawala,” said an officer.
“We will produce him in court on Tuesday along with Lakdawala and conduct an inquiry to know his exact role,” said an AEC official.
Prasanta Patnaik