Underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s aide arrested from Jamshedpur

Wanted for serial bomb blast plot in Gujarat and Maharashtra for 24 years

Jamshedpur, Dec. 27: In a major breakthrough, a close aide of dreaded underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim was nabbed by a team of Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), Gujarat from an arms-checking point on Mango-Pardih Road under Mango police station area in co-operation of the Mango police.

According to information the arrest of Dawood’s aide identified as Abdul Majid Kutti, was made late on Friday evening, the police did not disclose about the breakthrough. The media was made aware at about 3 pm after the dreaded criminal carried to Ahmedabad only.

Significantly, Abdul Majid Kutty had explosive materials (RDX), pistols and 750 bullets.

According to senior ATS officials from Gujarat, Kutty was involved in a case related to explosives sent by Dawood Ibrahim at the behest of a Pakistani agency to carry out bomb blasts in Gujarat and Maharashtra on Republic Day in 1997.

The ATS official further informed that Kutty was involved in gathering 106 pistols, about 750 cartridges and about 4 kg of RDX in 1996 for carrying out terror activities.

Significantly, on November 10 this year, six of Dawood Ibrahim’s properties at his ancestral place Ratnagiri were auctioned by the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Authority (SAFEMA).

Abdul Majeed has been absconding for the past 24 years and had fled to Malaysia after an FIR was lodged against him under section 25(1) Arms Act and 4 (b)/5(b)/6 of the Explosives Act in a case related to explosives and arms sent by Dawood Ibrahim at the behest of a Pakistani agency to carry out bomb blasts in Gujarat and Maharashtra on the Republic Day in 1997.

“ It is a major achievement for us. His arrest will help us to further know about the trade the don has been involved,” said an official.

Kutti (58) who is originally a resident of Kerala was wanted by the ATS of Gujarat since 1998 as he was accused of supplying a huge number of arms ammunition and explosives  to the members of Dawood’s gang during that period.  The criminal was residing with his family at a rented duplex in Sahara City, a residential colony in Mango, under the name of Kamal since the past one-and-half years.

“Gujarat ATS had come to the city on Friday morning and sought out cooperation for verifying the address and other details of Md Kamal, son of Haroon Rashid. A joint team of Mango police and Gujarat ATS nabbed him from his car near Mango chowk late last evening. During interrogation, it was found that he is a member of an international criminal gang and had fled and was living in Malaysia, Dubai and Bangkok on a fake passport in the name of Md Kamal before coming to Jamshedpur,” Dr M Tamil Vanan, Jamshedpur senior superintendent of police (SSP), said.

The SSP further informed that Abdul Majeed Kutty was hiding in the Sahara City complex under Mango PS for the past few years under the fake name of Kamal while his real name is Abdul Majeed Kutty. He was wanted by Gujarat ATS for over two decades. Gujarat ATS has left the city taking along the arrested accused. He is believed to be an expert in arranging fake passports. 

As per the available information, this consignment of explosives, arms and ammunition was smuggled in via the Barmer border in Rajasthan and was supposed to be sent to Ahmedabad and Mumbai. Originally hailing from Kerala, Abdul Majeed Kutty was living a lavish life in a duplex bungalow at Sahara City Complex and was nabbed by the Gujarat ATS and Mango police when he was driving to the market in his Ford car.

OC, Mango police station, Vinay Kumar confirmed about the arrest of Dawood’s aide Abdul Majid Kutti from Mango on Friday late evening.

“It is a major achievement for the security team. As a team of Gujarat ATS had the information about Kutti’s whereabouts in Mango, the team in cooperation with the Mango police had laid a trap in the guise of arms checking.  Kutti was walking down the Mango-Pardih Road and eventually caught at the checking point near the Mango police station at about 8 pm on Friday. The arrested person was wanted by the Gujarat police for the past over two decades,” said Kumar.

The FIR against him was lodged in Mehsana, Gujarat for smuggling 4 kilograms of RDX, 106 pistols, 750 cartridges made in Pakistan and 10 detonators in 1996. The arms and explosive haul was made from Bombay Guest House near Dudhsagar Dairy on December 23, 1996.

The OC said Kutti was kept in the Mango police station throughout the Friday night till Saturday night when the Gujarat ATS took away him on transit remand to Ahmedabad.  

A police official posted at Mango police station pointed out that the arrest of Kutti had been kept a secret and they did not disclose the breakthrough to the media in view of security reasons.  He said they disclosed the matter on Sunday afternoon only after the Gujarat ATS’ arrival at Ahmedabad.

The family members of Kutti were not aware about his arrest till Saturday evening. ” We are not at all why the police arrested Kutti.  We came to know about it on Saturday evening only,” said a woman.