Iqbal Kaskar, held under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act on the charge of developing illegal properties, today moved a special court seeking police protection to visit Umerkhedi and Nagpada in South Mumbai to file nominations for the assembly polls.
Kaskar is the younger brother of Pakistan-based Dawood Ibrahim who is wanted in India for many crimes, including the bomb blasts of March 12, 1993.
He filed an application through his lawyer Sham Keswani and the court asked the prosecutor Rohini Salian to file her reply. The application will be heard Tuesday as the prosecution has sought time to seek instructions.
Iqbal is facing allegations of helping the underworld develop real estate in Mumbai. He was deported from Dubai last year and arrested under the MCOCA.
Besides Iqbal, other accused included four municipal engineers and two property developers. They are charged with illegally developing Sara Shopping Centre and Sahara Shopping Complex in south Mumbai.
According to police, Dawood and his gang had recently decided to invest unaccounted money in the real estate and had acquired old and dilapidated buildings in commercial areas of Mumbai.
Iqbal was a front man for Dawood gang and police claimed to have in their possession a taped conversation between Iqbal and two others, indicating they were illegally developing real estate.
