Mumbai Court Acquits Dawood’s Nephew, 2 Others in 2019 Extortion Case

A Mumbai special court on Friday acquitted three individuals, including Dawood Ibrahim's nephew Mohammed Rizwan Shaikh Ibrahim (Kaskar), along with Ahmedraja Vadhariya and Ashfaq Towelwala, who were accused under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in a 2019 extortion case. Special judge B D Shelke cleared them of charges including sections 387 (instilling fear of death or grievous harm to commit extortion), 120 (criminal conspiracy), and relevant MCOCA provisions.

A case was registered against the trio in 2019 for allegedly threatening a builder. The builder, who operated a business importing electronic goods, claimed that his business associate owed him Rs 15 lakh. In June 2019, he asserted receiving an international call purportedly arranged by gang member Fahim Machmach on behalf of gangster Chhota Shakeel, advising him not to pursue the payment.

The prosecution argued that sufficient material was found against all the accused, particularly, the phone call recording and CDRs. Towelwala had also made a confessional statement disclosing the crime he had committed with the remaining accused, it stated. As per the prosecution's case, Dawood's nephew Rizwan and his alleged associates, purportedly under his influence, allegedly intimidated the builder into relinquishing the owed dues. Throughout the trial, the prosecution called upon 23 witnesses and submitted electronic evidence to support their claims in court.