NIA announces 25 lakh bounty for Dawood

Mumbai: The National Investigation Agency has announced a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh for any information leading to the arrest of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, an official said on Thursday.

The probe agency has also announced a cash reward of Rs 20 lakh on Ibrahim's close aide Shakeel Shaikh alias Chhota Shakeel, and Rs 15 lakh each on associates Haji Anees alias Anees Ibrahim Shaikh, Javed Patel alias Javed Chikna and Ibrahim Mushtaq Abdul Razzak Memon alias Tiger Memon, he said.

All of them are wanted accused in the case of 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. The official said the NIA has sought information about them which could lead to their arrest. The agency had in February registered a case against the 'D company'.

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is designated a global terrorist by the United Nation runs an international terrorist network, namely D-Company, with his close associates like Anees Ibrahim Shaikh, Chhota Shakeel, Javed Chikhna and Tiger Memon, among others, the NIA said in a statement. They are involved in various terrorism-criminal activities such as arms smuggling, narco terrorism, underworld criminal syndicate, money laundering, circulation of FICN, unauthorised possession/ acquisition of key assets for raising terror funds and working in active collaboration with international terrorist organisations including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Al Qaeda (AQ), the statement said.