Mateen Hafeez I TNN
Mumbai: The gangster rivalry playing out in the cells of Arthur Road jail has exposed the shoddy security measures undertaken in the state’s most sensitive prison.Members of organised crime syndicates have always been warring with one another—stabbing and shooting in jails. However, of late, there have been more incidents of gangs of robbers being pitted against one another.
On Saturday, don Abu Salem was beaten up by another gangster Mustafa Dossa in the high-security prison. Dossa, who was deported from the UAE on March 20, 2003, has several cases registered against him, including the 1993 serial Mumbai blasts case. He is considered one of the most trusted aides of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
In January 2008, an undertrial—Asgar Ali Mehandi (25)—was stabbed to death by four of his prison mates in the presence of a huge crowd. Mehandi was the prime accused in the murder of John D’Souza who was similarly stabbed and killed on jail premises in December 2007. Even though the authorities knew Mehandi would be targeted, they could not protect him from D’Souza’s accomplices.
Arthur Road jail, which has a capacity of 804, holds more than 2,200 undertrials and convicts. “If we had more policemen, we would have been able to control such incidents properly. Our entire staff comprises around 225 men for around 2,000 inmates. Watching over hardened criminals with such few staffers is not an easy job,’’ a jail official said.
Jail authorities are clearly worried about the ‘weaponmaking industry’. Dossa had used a steel spoon to attack Salem. The spoon was sharpened and made into a knife. According to sources, the last such clash within the prison took place in August 2005 when Chhota Rajan’s accomplices, Vicky Malhotra, Farid Tanasha and two others got into an argument with D-gang cronies—Saleem Shaikh and Ehtesham—resulting in the pelting of stones by both sides. No gangster was injured. But the bricks thrown by gangsters hit assistant sub-inspector Shahabuddin Mulani whosustained serious injuries.
In 2003, Dawood’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar, was beaten up by another gang ‘mate’,Abdul Sattar Teli, who was an accused in the Sara-Sahara case.Dawood’s absconding aide Feroz Konkani,who fled from J J Hospital after killing two cops in 1999, had assaulted 3 Rajan gangsters inside the prison.
The D-gang has been dominant at the jail since the the don’s aides were deported from the UAE. While it also houses Rajan’s men, D-gangsters are more in number.
A TALE OF TWO CRIMINALS
Mustafa Dossa
An associate of don Dawood Ibrahim and an accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case for conspiracy, Mohammed Mustafa Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu, was deported from the UAE on March 20, 2003. He was discharged by a Tada court at Ahmedabad for lack of evidence of his involvement in an arms landing case in 2008. He also has seven more cases registered against him.
Of these, three cases fall under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Tada) Act at Porbandar, Jamnagar and Valsad in Gujarat for his alleged involvement in landing of the arms prior to the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. A case of extortion is also pending against him at Bharuch.
In 2007, Dossa decided to float a party called the Dalit Muslim United Front. The decision was taken in Arthur Road jail and he was declared party president. Workers had said the party would primarily comprise those accused in the bomb blasts case. The party’s main objective was to fight for victims of state terrorism.
An associate of don Dawood Ibrahim and an accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case for conspiracy, Mohammed Mustafa Dossa alias Mustafa Majnu, was deported from the UAE on March 20, 2003. He was discharged by a Tada court at Ahmedabad for lack of evidence of his involvement in an arms landing case in 2008. He also has seven more cases registered against him.
Of these, three cases fall under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Tada) Act at Porbandar, Jamnagar and Valsad in Gujarat for his alleged involvement in landing of the arms prior to the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai. A case of extortion is also pending against him at Bharuch.
In 2007, Dossa decided to float a party called the Dalit Muslim United Front. The decision was taken in Arthur Road jail and he was declared party president. Workers had said the party would primarily comprise those accused in the bomb blasts case. The party’s main objective was to fight for victims of state terrorism.
Abu Salem
Underworld don Abu Salem alias Abu Salem Ansari was one of India’s most wanted fugitives. Salem and his girlfriend Monica Bedi were arrested in Lisbon, Portugal on September 18, 2002 for travelling with fake passports. The two were deported to India on November 11, 2005. He is a prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, the murder of music baron and TSeries owner Gulshan Kumar, killing of Anil Diwani—secretary of film actor Manisha Koirala and 50 other cases. His gangsters have also tried to attack film personalities—Rajeev Rai, Rakesh Roshan and Manmohan Shetty.
Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Salem came to Mumbai in the early 80s and worked as a hawker and driver in Delhi. Later, he came to Mumbai. In a short time, Salem demonstrated his expertise in extortion and became a key member of the D-gang. He would hire shooters on a contract basis. Salem was also involved in the conspiracy of the 1993 serial blasts.
The Times of India, July 25, 2010
Underworld don Abu Salem alias Abu Salem Ansari was one of India’s most wanted fugitives. Salem and his girlfriend Monica Bedi were arrested in Lisbon, Portugal on September 18, 2002 for travelling with fake passports. The two were deported to India on November 11, 2005. He is a prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, the murder of music baron and TSeries owner Gulshan Kumar, killing of Anil Diwani—secretary of film actor Manisha Koirala and 50 other cases. His gangsters have also tried to attack film personalities—Rajeev Rai, Rakesh Roshan and Manmohan Shetty.
Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Salem came to Mumbai in the early 80s and worked as a hawker and driver in Delhi. Later, he came to Mumbai. In a short time, Salem demonstrated his expertise in extortion and became a key member of the D-gang. He would hire shooters on a contract basis. Salem was also involved in the conspiracy of the 1993 serial blasts.
The Times of India, July 25, 2010
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