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 Head of Dawood’s Drug Empire arrested; Sold Drugs through Food Delivery Agents

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Mumbai police’s crime branch apprehended Aliasgar Shirazi, an associate of global narcotics kingpin Kailash Rajput, at Sahar International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday. Shirazi was apprehended while attempting to flee to Dubai.

Shirazi wanted in several drugs-related cases, had invested in Hustlers Hospitality

He was wanted in several cases of drug manufacture, production, trafficking, and distribution. He was the founder and Managing Director of Falisha Techno world, which invested ₹30 crores in Hustlers Hospitality to operate cloud kitchen startups. An in-depth investigation by The News Agency revealed an intricate web of front companies set up to channel profits of the narco trade into legitimate business for money laundering. He operated Falisha Venture Capital to invest in new startups and Pan Liner Freight Forwarders for narcotics trafficking in international courier parcels. “Falisha Group is a front for money laundering and drug distribution,” alleged senior crime branch officials.

Aliasgar had made significant investments in cloud kitchen startups with the intention of utilising online food delivery platforms for drug distribution. Senior crime branch officials explained the modus operandi of the narcotics network, stating, “Drug peddlers were provided with specific codes to place online food orders from 15 different brands operating within the same cloud kitchen. This method allowed them to have their preferred drugs delivered by online food aggregators, thus evading detection. The street peddlers then distributed the drugs to retail consumers.”

Big boss actors enlisted by Hustlers Hospitality,

The cloud kitchens were operated by Hustlers Hospitality, in which Aliasgar had invested over ₹30 crores and assumed the role of an additional director alongside promoters Krunal Oza and Dinesh Oza.

Hustlers Hospitality had enlisted a few struggling actors, including Big Boss contestant Abdu Rozik and Shiv Thakare, in an attempt to establish a chain of cafés as a facade for laundering drug money. Cafe Burgiir and Thakare’s Chai & Snacks were among the cafés operated by Aliasgar, serving as a front to expand drug distribution and legitimize the proceeds of narcotics. The two Big Boss contestants received a meager signing amount of ₹25 lakhs and were promised substantial royalties based on sales. The contracts, allegedly signed for ₹25 crore investments in the cafés, operated under the Abdu and Thakare brand names.

Mumbai Police is also investigating the involvement of a Mumbai-based advocate in facilitating the investment of narcotics funds belonging to Kailash Rajput and Aliasgar into Bollywood and fast food cafe chains.

Shirazi, Rajput were held in 2013, fled from India after bail

Aliasgar Shirazi and Kailash Rajput were apprehended by Sameer Wankhede, the Deputy Commissioner of Airport Customs, Air Intelligence Unit, back in 2013 during a seizure of 50 kgs of Meth and Ketamine. However, after obtaining bail, they managed to flee to the UAE initially and then later to Europe. Despite their arrests, the duo continued to operate their vast narcotics trafficking empire, involved in the manufacturing and distribution of drugs as part of the global drug trade.

In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, Aliasgar’s name resurfaced when the Mumbai Police Property Cell discovered a significant drug consignment that was being trafficked through courier parcels. Another drug trafficker, Sajid Badshah Mirza, was apprehended in connection with the case. As a result, a lookout circular (LoC) and an Interpol Red Corner notice were issued for Aliasgar. The authorities were actively seeking his arrest in relation to the drug trafficking investigation.

Rajput involved in laundering drug money into Indian economy

According to another narcotics official, the kingpin of the Dawood drug empire, Kailash Rajput, is involved in laundering drug money into the Indian economy through a network of shell companies and fictitious business entities located in Dubai, UK, USA, Portugal, Australia, and Turkey. These funds are then channeled into various start-ups and venture capital seed funds. Allegedly, several hundred crores of narco money is laundered each week to finance legitimate businesses.

Hustlers Hospitality promoter Krunal Oza refrained from providing any comment regarding the allegations of drug money investments made by Aliasgar in his cloud kitchen business.

Crime

NIA nabs 2 human traffickers from Delhi, HP for role in sending over 100 youths to US via ‘donkey route’

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New Delhi, July 5: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested two human traffickers from different locations in Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The duo, accused of sending more than 100 youths to the United States using the notorious ‘donkey route’ were nabbed after extensive searches.

The accused were identified as Sunny Donker, a resident of Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) and Shubham Sandhal, a resident of Punjab who was currently residing in the national Capital.

Both are said to be associates of Gagandeep Singh alias Goldy, arrested earlier in March.

Gagandeep was arrested over a victim’s complaint who was illegally trafficked to the US using the infamous ‘donkey route’ and was deported back to India in February, this year.

Goldy, a resident of Tilak Nagar in Delhi, was subsequently chargesheeted by the NIA.

As per the findings of the law enforcement agency, Gagandeep Singh used to take around Rs 45 lakh from each victim on the pretext of sending them to US on a valid visa.

He would then illegally send them on an arduous journey via multiple countries, including Spain, El-Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

He had sent more than 100 victims illegally to the US, in this manner before being arrested.

Sunny was the main associate of Gagandeep Singh and played a key role in facilitating the journey of the victims on the ‘donkey route’.

Also, the victims were physically and mentally harassed on the way by agents to extract more money.

Shubham Sandhal operated as key hawala conduit, who transferred funds to agents in Latin America. Gagandeep used him to transfer part of the money taken from the victims to the agents based in Latin America.

The NIA, took over the case from Punjab Police in March this year. As the investigation proceeds, it continues to unravel dark secrets of the human trafficking racket.

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Crime

Kolkata law college rape: Monojit Mishra made 16 calls in 3 hours, police probe details

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Kolkata, July 4: Monojit Mishra, one of the three accused and reportedly the main architect in the law college student gang-rape case, made as many as 16 calls in three hours after the crime incident took place on the evening of June 25.

Those call details are currently being examined by the investigating sleuths, and at the same time, the process of interrogation of those with whom Mishra conversed during that period has started.

The tower locations of the mobile phones of the three accused, namely Mishra, Jaib Ahmed and Pramit Mukhopadhyay, during that period are being tracked by the investigating officials to have an idea of the places they went to immediately after the crime.

Sources said that one of the calls that Mishra made from his mobile phone during that period was to a member of the governing body of the same college. Although the governing body member concerned has already been questioned by the investigating officials, the latter are not willing to disclose anything on the interrogation findings for the sake of the investigation.

This week, the investigation into the case was handed over to the Detective Department of the city police, which has started the probe process by adding new sections against the three prime accused persons.

Before Detective Department took over the charge of the investigation, the three accused persons were charged under sections on rape. However, with the Detective Department taking over the investigation sections relating to abduction and causing injuries with weapons were also slapped on the three.

On Friday morning, around 3 a.m., the sleuths of the detective department reached the campus of the law college in Kolkata along with the three accused for reenactment of the incident.

Sources said that the findings of the reenactment process will be cross-checked with the statement given by the victim soon after the event of sexual harassment took place last week. Earlier, a member of the special investigation team, which was initially investigating the matter, had gone to the college campus with the victim for reenactment purposes.

The woman, a student of the South Calcutta Law College, was allegedly raped by two senior students and an alumnus of the institute in the guard’s room on June 25. Apart from the three, the college guard has been arrested in the case so far.

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Crime

ED raids eight locations linked to ex-Cong MLA Amba Prasad in Jharkhand

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Ranchi, July 4: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out raids at eight locations linked to close associates of former Congress MLA Amba Prasad from Jharkhand’s Barkagaon Assembly constituency.

The raids are part of an ongoing money laundering probe involving a prominent company engaged in coal transportation, infrastructure, and the power sector.

According to sources, simultaneous searches were conducted in Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Barkagaon.

Among the locations searched are the residence of Amba Prasad’s aide Sanjeet in Kishoreganj (Ranchi) and the homes of her personal assistants — Sanjeev Sao, Manoj Dangi, and Pancham Kumar — in Barkagaon.

Security forces have been deployed in large numbers at all the premises where raids are being conducted.

This move comes months after the ED conducted a similar crackdown between March 12 and March 14 this year, targeting Amba Prasad, her father, and former Minister Yogendra Sao, brother Ankit Raj, and several other relatives and associates.

During those raids, the agency had seized Rs 35 lakh in cash, digital devices, fake stamps of banks and government offices, handwritten receipts, diaries, and other incriminating documents.

Officials believe that the current searches are based on evidence and leads gathered during the earlier raids. The ED is now closely examining documents related to financial transactions, land deals, and mining activities.

Ten companies reportedly registered in the names of Amba Prasad and her family members are under scrutiny.

Earlier, the ED had questioned Amba Prasad, her father Yogendra Sao, and her brother Ankit Raj at its zonal office in Ranchi in connection with the same case.

Amba Prasad was elected to the Jharkhand Assembly from Barkagaon in 2019 on a Congress ticket. Her parents — Yogendra Sao and Nirmala Devi — have also represented the same constituency in the past.

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