The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized a flat worth Rs 55 lakh in Thane, Maharashtra, linked to an alleged associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Iqbal Kaskar. The action was taken as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Sources in the federal probe agency said Tuesday that the residential dwelling in Neopolis Building located in Thane West was attached as part of a provisional order issued under the PMLA in 2022 against its owner Mumtaz Ezaz Shaikh.
The adjudicating authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) approved the provisional attachment order, allowing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to take possession of the flat. According to sources, the procedure for taking possession was completed recently.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) previously alleged that the flat was extorted by Iqbal Kaskar and others from Thane-based real estate developer Suresh Devichand Mehta. According to the ED, Mehta, who ran a construction business through his firm Darshan Enterprises, was coerced by Kaskar, Mumtaz Shaikh, and Israr Ali Jamil Saiyad, leveraging their close links to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. The flat was ultimately registered in the name of Mumtaz Ezaz Shaikh, the agency stated.
The money laundering stems from a Thane Police FIR of September, 2017. The police had pressed charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against the accused.