Mumbai: History-sheeter Dawood aide held for extortion

An alleged aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim was arrested for trying to extort Rs 5 lakh from a businessman in Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

Riyaz Bhati (50) was picked up by Crime Branch's Unit I on Friday from Crawford Market area in south Mumbai on the basis of an FIR registered at Juhu police station in June this year, an official said.

The Goregaon-based complainant had alleged that Bhati was his business partner who started demanding money by dropping names of underworld operatives after he called off the partnership, the official said.

Unit I senior inspector Vinayak Mer said Bhati was arrested under section 384 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code and had been remanded in police custody till October 9.

Bhati was held by the police's Anti-Extortion Cell in July this year for allegedly forging a signature to get membership of the Mumbai Cricket Association, an official said.

In August, Bhati and his brother were booked by Amboli police station in an extortion case.

Officials said he is also an accused in two firing cases in Khandala and a land grab case in Malad.