Extortion case: MCOCA court rejects plea of other accused questioning pardon to Danish Ahmed

MUMBAI: A sessions court in the city on Saturday rejected the plea filed by four accused booked in an extortion case to revoke the pardon granted to their alleged main prime accused Danish Ahmed, who worked with Russian intelligence agents in arms deals along with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew, Sohel.

The court held that the four accused have no locus standi to question the grant of pardon to Ahmed, a Delhi resident.

The four accused namely, Ramdas Rahane, Harish Gyanchandani, Aziz Mohammed and Mohammed Altaf Sayyed have been booked by an anti-extortion cell along with Danish for allegedly extorting ₹50 lakh from a city businessman.

Danish was granted pardon in April 2022, and later his testimony was recorded by the special MCOCA court. The accused had objected to the same and pleaded to revoke the pardon given to him contending that he is the prime accused who has admitted having sold weapons like rocket launchers while working as an agent for Russian intelligence. Also, they pleaded that he has admitted that he was in constant touch with Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, Chhota Shakeel and Anees Ibrahim.

The prosecution on the other had contended that there was no need to hear the objections raised by the accused. It is for the prosecution to ascertain that the accused has made full and true disclosure of the facts.

The special MCOCA judge noted that the prosecution specifically contended in its reply that Danish has supported its case and made full and true disclosure of the whole circumstances within his knowledge relating to the offence.

Hence the court said the accused has no locus. Danish, in his statement, stated that, in 2009, after the death of Dawood’s brother Noora Ibrahim, Noora’s son Sohel became a close friend, and both of them moved to Russia where he worked with Russian agents. Danish would travel by Russian chartered flights to Belgium, Dubai, Uganda, Algeria, Venezuela and other places to meet prospective customers and show them pictures of the products on offer.

In 2014, Danish and Sohel met three agents of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, who posed as Columbians seeking to purchase Russian arms for a revolt. After he showed them the pictures that he had, they chose Igla infra-red missile launchers. After the deal was confirmed in June 2014, Danish and Sohel travelled to Spain to collect the advance and provide the ‘Columbians’ with three samples.

Both were arrested when they went to meet the three Columbians in Spain and were taken to Madrid. Here, they pleaded guilty and were extradited to the US after spending a year and a half in a Madrid jail. Danish was released from the US prison in September 2018 and deported to India.