Daud Merchant deported to India

Abdul Rauf Merchant, former aide of Dawood Ibrahim, was on Thursday brought to Mumbai from Bangladesh in connection with the murder in 1997 of singer and founder of T-series Gulshan Kumar.

Merchant, who was convicted for the murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002, absconded when he was out on parole in 2009.

He subsequently went to Bangladesh, where he was arrested for entering the country illegally, and then again for alleged terrorist links.

His jail term expired last week. For the last couple of months, the Indian government has been in talks for his deportation with the Bangladesh government.

According to top police officials, following his release from prison, Merchant was taken to Meghalaya by the Bangladeshi authorities and handed over to the Border Security Force.

A team of Mumbai Crime Branch officers went to Meghalaya on Wednesday to take his custody, Crime Branch officials said.

While the operation was conducted in close co-ordination by both the governments with help from the Interpol, it is being officially said that Merchant was detained by the BSF while trying to enter the country illegally.

When contacted, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjay Saxena said, ‘The BSF, after questioning Merchant, found out that he was wanted in Mumbai for jumping parole in the Gulshan Kumar murder case.’

Merchant was flown to Mumbai early on Thursday morning and produced in the high court.

‘The High Court has directed us to produce him in the sessions court on Friday,’ Mr. Saxena added.

Source: The Hindu