Kaskar, Shakeel & aides booked under MCOCA

THANE: Police on Wednesday invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Iqbal Kaskar, Chota Shakeel, Pankaj Gangar and their four other aides and hitmen. Of the seven gangsters booked under the stringent law, Shakeel, reportedly running the operations from Karachi, Pakistan, and two Bihar-based hitmen Shamim and Guddu are declared absconding.

Kaskar, brother of Karachi-based gangster Dawood Ibrahim, and his two aides Israr Sayeed and Mumtaz Shaikh are behind bars, booked in multiple cases of extortion registered by jewellers and builders.

The move to slap MCOCA was initiated by police commissioner Param Bir Singh and senior inspector Pradeep Sharma. It was invoked against Kaskar and others in the extortion case registered at

Kasarwadavali

police station, on a complaint filed by a builder.

Under MCOCA, police get the scope to file a charge-sheet within 180 days, as against the 60-90 day window under the IPC. If the charges are proved, the accused is subject to a minimum five-year imprisonment and a maximum punishment of the death penalty.

“In the last couple of days, we thoroughly examined the MCOCA and the proposal has finally been moved in the special MCOCA court. Even Mumbai police provided details of cases filed in the last 10 years against Chota Shakeel and Kaskar, which include those in which they are charge-sheeted. As Shakeel’s role was established in the case, it became easy to invoke the tough law,” said a senior police officer.

Two more extortion cases were registered in Thane and in one case Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim and his other brother Anees have been named as the accused. “It is also mandatory that at least two separate charge-sheets are filed against the accused in the last 10 years to slap MCOCA charges,” the officer said.


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