Shakeel sent money to incite terrorism and target politicians: NIA

MUMBAI: Fugitive gangster

Chhota Shakeel

sent huge money to incite terrorism and target prominent politicians in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said in a court while seeking custody of his two aides who were arrested on Friday.

The court remanded the two, Arif Abubakar Shaikh alias Arif Bhaijan (59) and his brother Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh (51) in NIA custody till May 20. The court found that the NIA's submission about involvement of the accused on the backdrop of available material on record was sustainable.

The NIA is investigating a terror funding case against gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his close aides, including Shakeel. The NIA alleged Arif and Shabbir were involved in handling of Dawood gang's illegal activities and terrorist financing in the western suburbs of Mumbai. On Friday, NIA also questioned a Borivli-based bookie-turned-builder.

The arrested accused are alleged to be close associates and relatives of Shakeel, who operates an international criminal syndicate from Pakistan and is involved in extortion, narcotics smuggling and violent terrorist activities in India.

The accused were provided legal aid as they did not have lawyers present in court. Arif told the court that "Humein is desh se bahut pyaar hai (We love this country). Saare jahaan se accha Hindustan hamara."

In 2016, Mumbai police had arrested Arif Bhaijan along with his three aides, including one Tabbasum Shaikh who was held by the crime branch in an extortion case. Bhaijan's name first cropped up in 2006 in a Malad land grab case.