Mumbai: Following the arrest of gangster Chotta Rajan in Bali on Sunday, security agencies are tightening the noose on every person related to him.
Riyaz Bhati, an aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai on Wednesday for possessing two passports.
He was arrested during the immigration check when security agencies found two passports in his baggage with differing details mentioned in them.
Bhati was at the airport to catch a flight to Johannesburg, where Dawood's other cronies were supposedly going to meet and discuss the future of D-company in Mumbai.
Later, during the investigation, it was found that he had used both passports several times in the past to travel abroad.
Bhati has been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged electronic record) and 34 (common intention).
An avid social media user, Riyaz has posted several pictures with celebrities on his twitter account
Bhatti, builder and currently operates a sports academy called the Indian Sports Academy, had serious offences registered against him, including a firing case at Khandala in 2007 and 2008 and a land grabbing case at Malad in 2009.
Intelligence agencies had tipped off the police about Bhati's arrival at the airport, and had said that he could be carrying two separate passports for his trip. They had also issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him, the Mid Day reported.
Bhati was actively involved in the hawala business when D-company had a stronghold in Mumbai. It is said that he is still investing Dawood's money into hawala, Sources were quoted as saying to the daily.
