Mumbai Drug Nexus: Ali Asgar Shirazi Has Links to Dawood, Chhota Shakeel; NIA Probe Likely

Will the National Investigation Agency take custody of Ali Asgar Shirazi, a close aide of wanted criminal Kailash Rajput, to investigate his alleged links to gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel, and the drug nexus in Mumbai? Sources privy to the investigation say it is likely, given the drug link​, even as the Mumbai Police and NIA have not confirmed the development.

The Mumbai Police, in its remand application on Monday, stated that Shirazi had links to Ibrahim and Shakeel.

Shirazi was arrested at the Mumbai airport on May 22, while he was trying to flee to Dubai. He was named as the main accused in the case related to smuggling of ketamine and viagra worth Rs 8 crore to Australia and the United Kingdom (UK) using a courier service. His boss and international drug dealer Rajput exported banned drugs to the UK, United States (US) and Australia through Shirazi.

D-COMPANY LINKS; TERROR FINANCING ANGLE

Rajput ran the international drug racket at the behest of the D-gang.

As Shirazi handled his operations from Mumbai, he was also put on the wanted list. He had a lookout notice issued against him, but he wasn’t aware of it, which is how he got arrested.

The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai crime branch is also investigating Shirazi’s investments to determine whether proceeds from the drug money was used to finance these businesses or for terror financing.

CASE FILED IN MARCH

The AEC of the crime branch in March raided the premises of a courier office in Andheri East and seized 15 kg of ketamine and 23,000 tablets of viagra.

According to police sources, Shirazi used to smuggle ketamine and other banned substances through three courier companies — International Express, One Logistics and Pan Frent.

The remand application also mentioned that technical data such as chats have been deleted, which they were trying to investigate.

Shirazi was on Monday produced before the magistrate at Qila court, where he was represented by Abrar Shaikh, associate of advocate Taraq Sayyed. He has been remanded in judicial custody. Around seven accused have, so far, been arrested in the case.