The special court for Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on Friday acquitted Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew Rizwan Kaskar – the son of Dawood’s brother Iqbal Kaskar – and two others booked in an extortion case registered in 2019. The two others are Ahmedraja Vadhariya and Ashfaq Towelwala.

Background Of The Extortion Case

Rizwan, Ahmedraja and Ashfaq were booked by the Pydhonie police on the complaint of a builder, who was also in the business of electronic goods. He had claimed that he knew Ashfaq for the past 10 years through joint work in import of electronics and that he owed him Rs15 lakh. 

On June 12, 2019, the builder said he received a call from gangster Fahim Machmach on behalf of Chhota Shakeel, saying that Ahmedraja has taken the responsibility to pay Ashfaq’s dues but at his own convenience. It was the prosecution’s case that Ahmedraja claimed close contacts with Rizwan and other underworld members in Dubai, where he was a frequent traveller, and threatened against making demands for the dues.

Prosecution’s Struggles In The MCOCA Case

The Pydhonie police had later transferred the case to Mumbai crime branch and the charges of MCOCA were invoked.  

The prosecution relied on call data records and the confession statement of Ashfaq, besides examining 23 witnesses. The court, however, did not accept Ashfaq’s confession statement as he had later retracted it. Besides, several of the witnesses examined had turned hostile, making the case weak. The prosecution also failed to establish Rizwan’s role in the alleged transaction and threat calls.