Four convicted under MCOCA for extortion

6 accused were freed on bail last year after witnesses turned hostile

Four members of the Ejaz Lakdawala gang were convicted by Special MCOCA Judge MR Puranik on January 25 on the charges of extortion and attempted murder of Andheri businessman Nijar Ali Punjwani in 2005.

Convicted accused Mohammad Khalid Khan aka Salim, Javed Shabbir Khan, Nasir Pochhi and Aamir Rehman aka Raju will be sentenced on Wednesday.

“The judge will give his decision regarding four other accused - Abdul Karim Shaikh, Yussuf Kahniya, Akbar Dhosani and Lakdawala’s brother-in-law Bhagwan Hira Thadani, the alleged financer for the gang, also on Wednesday,” said prosecutor Kalpana Chavan.

Ejaz Lakdawala and his alleged lieutenant Laik Mamu were never arrested.

Six accused (all except Kahniya and Salim) were released on bail midway through the trial on July 25, 2007, by judge Puranik after seven eye-witnesses including six Punjwani’s employees turned hostile.

Retired ACP Suresh Walishetty first arrested Abdul, who implicated Kahniya, Salim, Raju, and Nasir for conspiracy to extort Rs50 lakh from Punjwani at the behest of Lakdawala. After arrest, Kahniya and Salim, who were in constant and proximate contact with Lakdawala, confessed to their crime.

Walishetty testified that between January and April 2005, Punjwani received threat calls for ransom of Rs50 lakh. On February 12, 2005, the caller identified himself as Salim and asked Punjwani to call Ejaz on a Dubai cell phone number.
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