Who is Ezaj Lakdawala and what are the cases against him?
Fugitive gangster Ejaz Lakdawala, who was on the run for the last 20 years, has been arrested by Mumbai on Thursday. Lakdawala was apprehended by Mumbai Crime Branch's anti-extortion cell team at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Wednesday at 10:30 pm. Ejaz Lakdawala, who has 27 cases registered against him, has been remanded to police custody till January 21.
Lakdawala worked for underworld don Dawood Ibrahim under Chota Rajan before forming his own gang, said police. His daughter Sonia Lakdawala, who after her marriage changed her name to Soniya Shaikh, was arrested last month from Mumbai Airport when "she was trying to escape the country with help of a passport acquired through fake documents," according to police.
Ejaz Lakdawala: A brief profile
- Ejaz Lakhdawala is a former member of the Chhota Rajan gang. Initially, Lakdawala was among the close confidants of Dawood who used to provide logistical support to D-Company members in Mumbai for extorting Bollywood film producers and businessmen.
- Ejaz, who is in his early 50s, studied in Bandra's St. Stanislaus school
- In 1993, he killed one Haren Mehta after an altercation at a cricket match for which he was jailed but was acquitted in 1995.
- He was wanted by Mumbai and Delhi police in over 24 cases of extortion and attempt to murder.
- In 2003, he was rumored to have been killed when Dawood's gang-members, also known as D-Company, angered by his allegiance to Chota Rajan, opened fire at him in a crowded market in Bangkok.
- In May 2004, he was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada following an Interpol red corner notice for him.
- He was admitted to hospital, from where he escaped in June 2003 and fled to South Africa.
- Reportedly, Lakdawala was last operational from Nepal where he lived under the guise of a hosiery businessman and travelled to United States of America, Malaysia, Canada, Ghana and several countries in Europe under various aliases.
- In April 2019, Ejaz’s elder brother, Akeel Yusuf Lakdawalawas arrested by AEC for allegedly demanding Rs 50 lakh from a Khar-based developer on Ejaz’s instruction.
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