IPL spot-fixing: Court orders property attachment process against Dawood

A court here Saturday directed Delhi Police to initiate proceedings for attachment of properties against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, his aide Chhota Shakeel and three others, who are absconding, in connection with the IPL spot-fixing case.

Additional Sessions Judge Bharat Parashar passed the order after Delhi Police's Special Cell informed the court that non-bailable warrants (NBWs) issued against these absconding accused, who were charge-sheeted in the case could not be executed as they no longer reside at their last known addresses in India.

Apart from Dawood and Shakeel, the court had issued NBWs against Pakistan-based Javed Chutani, Salman alias Master and Ehteysham, who are all considered to be Dawood's associates.

The special cell made a request to the court for proceeding under sections 82 (proclamation for person absconding), and 83 (attachment of property of person absconding) of Criminal Procedure Code as warrants issued against accused Dawood, Shakeel, Chutani, Salman and Ehteysham have returned unexecuted.

The court asked police to paste the notice regarding the warrants at the last known address of these accused and also directed it to get the notice published in newspapers having national circulation.

Asking police to furnish the report regarding this before it, the court now posted the matter for Aug 16.

The court would begin hearing arguments on framing of charges in the case on that date.

During the hearing, police told the court that it will ascertain the properties owned by Dawood in the country and will submit a list of them before the court.

The special cell had filed the charge-sheet against Dawood, suspended cricketers S. Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan and others in the case.

In its charge-sheet, police had claimed that Dawood and Shakeel, who have been "controlling the fixing and betting market" in cricket in India, were behind the IPL spot-fixing.

The scandal was busted with the arrest of the three cricketers along with bookies from Mumbai in May 2013. They are out on bail at present.