D-company lured young men with promise of money, overseas job

Ahmedabad: The Dawood Ibrahim-led D company lured young men to stoke communal tensions in the country by promising huge stash of money and jobs overseas, it has been revealed in an National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheet.

The chargesheet filed against ten men, accused them of killing two BJP leaders in Gujarat and revealed an elaborate plan by Dawood’s men to avenge the 1993 Mumbai riots and the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The young recruits were promised money and jobs in South Africa. In addition to killing anyone who could be seen as ‘anti-muslim’, the young recruits were also asked to fling petrol bombs made out of empty alcohol bottles into churches and indulge in arson, according to reports.

The BJP leaders — Shirish Bangali and Pragnesh Mistry — were shot dead by two unidentified gunmen in Bharuch on November 2, 2015. Bangali was a former President of Bharuch district unit of BJP, while Mistry had served as General Secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha in the same district.

Bharuch Police, along with Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), had initially conducted the probe and termed the murders as an act of terror for which seven persons were arrested.

Their probe showed the contract for killing the duo was given by absconding gangster Javed Chikna and Zahid Milan, one of Dawood’s men in Pakistan, apparently to avenge communal riots in Mumbai and Gujarat in 1993 and 2002.

Javed’s brother Abid Patel is one of those named in the NIA charge sheet. During the probe it was revealed that Dawood and his men had asked Abid to prepare a hitlist of top BJP, RSS, Bajrang Dal leaders.

The money for the operation was routed through hawala channels, and the assailants were paid Rs 5 lakh.

Based on a request of Gujarat government, the Union Home Ministry handed over the probe to NIA in December last year, which lead to the arrest of the ten accused including Abid Patel.

The charge sheet was filed against Saiyed Imran, Zuheb Ansari, Inayat Patel, Mohmad Yunus, Haider Ali, Nissarbhai Sheikh, Mohsin Khan Pathan, Mohmed Altaf Shaikh, Abid Patel and Abdul Salim Ghanchi.

A red corner notice has been issued against Javed Chikna.