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Danish Merchant aka Danish Chikna is believed to be operating a drugs factory in Dongri that is tied to Dawood Ibrahim’s operations.
Danish Chikna, a key aide of Dawood Ibrahim. (Photo: ANI)
Mumbai Police have arrested Danish Merchant aka Danish Chikna, a key associate of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, in connection with a drug operations case after a month-long investigation. Police also arrested Merchant’s associate Kader Ghulam Sheikh.
Merchant is believed to have an illegal drug unit in Dongri that is tied to Dawood Ibrahim. He was wanted in this case after the arrest of two individuals – Mohammad Ashikur Sahidur Rahman and Rehan Shakeel Ansari last month, Mumbai police sources told NDTV.
On November 8, Rahman was caught near Marine Lines Station with 144g of narcotics and the suspect admitted that the drugs were supplied from Ansari in Dongri. After this, Ansari was arrested and seized an additional 55 grams of drugs. Ansari told police that the drugs were supplied by Merchant and another associate Qadir Fanta.
After a month-long hunt for Merchant and Fanta, police located both suspects in Dongri on Friday (December 13) and took them into custody following a carefully planned operation. Both suspects admitted to their involvement in the drug racket afterwards.
In 2019, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted Dawood Ibrahim’s drug factory in Dongri and seized narcotics worth crores. In 2021, Danish Merchant was arrested in Rajasthan and drugs were seized from his vehicle. Danish is part of the ‘Chinku Pathan module’ and was reportedly on the run in Rajasthan after his drugs module was busted by the NCB.
Merchant is the son of former Dawood Ibrahim aide Yusuf Chikna and was wanted in two cases by the NCB.
(with agency inputs)