Mumbai Crime: Ejaz Lakdawala's aide arrested in extortion racket case

Fayaz Nakhuda alias Sannata

The Anti-Extortion Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch arrested another associate of gangster Ejaz Lakdawala on Friday who used to collect ransom from builders and businessmen after Lakdawala's threat call, then sending it to Lakdawala through hawala.

The accused Fayaz Nakhuda alias Sannata, 45, a resident of Dongri is a very close aid of Fahim Machmach who is believed to be in Pakistan and closely working with Dawood Ibrahim. According to sources, Fayaz has direct links with Chhota Shakeel which the Mumbai crime branch is currently probing.

The crime branch arrested Fayaz, in a case dated back to 2017, where Lakdawala threatened a builder of one India construction company and took R50 lakh from him as extortion. "The complainant gave the ransom amount to Fayaz of which and he sent R35 lakh to Lakdawala through hawala in Nepal," an officer said.

The accused later received the remaining R15 lakhs for helping Lakdawala by sending the extortion amount. Earlier, the crime branch also arrested one Saleem Maharaj alias Saleem Dadhi who used to provide numbers of builders and businessmen from the city to Lakdawala. The gangster Ejaz Lakdawala was arrested on January 9 from Patna after escaping for more than two decades.

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