The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Central Government to seize properties of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in Mumbai.
A bench headed by Justice RK Agrawal dismissed the plea filed by Dawood Ibrahim’s sister Haseena Parker and his mother Amina Bi Kaskar against attachment of their properties by the government, saying they belong to the fugitive underworld don.
The prime properties in Mumbai’s Nagpada belonged to Dawood but his mother and sister, both dead, had taken possession of them.
In 1988, the government sealed the properties under a law that allows the takeover of properties of smugglers, foreign exchange manipulators and their relatives.
Dawood’s mother and sister had challenged the takeover, which were initiated after the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai in which 257 were killed. Dawood had fled the country and the departments concerned sought to seize properties belonging to the fugitive don.
Amina Bi Kaskar and Hasina Parkar had moved the apex court after the tribunal and the Delhi High Court dismissed their challenge to the takeover order in July 1998.
In November 2012 Supreme Court ordered status quo in the case.
The government had claimed that several opportunities were given to Amina and Hasina to show legal sources of income to acquire the properties but no valid document was filed.
The two women reportedly had seven residential properties in their names – two in Amina Bi’s name and five in Hasina Parkar’s name. The properties, worth crores, were allegedly acquired with Dawood’s illegal wealth.
In November 2017, three south Mumbai properties belonging to the fugitive don were auctioned for Rs 11.58 crore. The properties were put on auction by the ministry of finance, under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act. The three properties were the Hotel Raunaq Afroz, also known as Delhi Zaika, Shabnam Guest House and six rooms in Damarwala building.
Dawood Ibrahim is the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. He is listed as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council’s IS and al-Qaida Sanctions Committee.
India’s assertion that he has been sheltered by Pakistan was confirmed recently when the latest list of terror organisations and terrorists released by the UN Security Council included Dawood Ibrahim and his Karachi address.
