A senior officer of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Pune unit, has lodged a complaint with the Vimantal police alleging that he received threat calls and WhatsApp voice messages from two people who claimed links with fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and the D-Company syndicate.
The Vimantal police have registered a non-cognisable offence and initiated an inquiry. Senior police inspector Govind Jadhav said, “The crime branch’s anti-extortion cell has been tasked with further investigation.”
The officer stated in the complaint that he received a call on June 6 from a man who identified himself as Mushtaque Shaikh. The caller claimed that the Mumbai Air Intelligence had taken action against a few of his associates based on information the DRI officer had provided. Shaikh said he had been involved in smuggling activities for nearly three decades and had connections with criminals as well as officials in the Customs department.
Police said Shaikh allegedly threatened the officer and warned that neither he nor his family members would be able to move around safely in Pune. The complainant said the caller also threatened to target the DRI unit operating in Pune.
Later, on the same day, the officer allegedly received another call from an unknown person. The caller claimed to have links with Dawood Ibrahim and the D-Company network for nearly three decades and repeated the threats, police said.
Police said Shaikh had first contacted the officer on June 3. He had expressed the desire to become an informer and claimed he already knew one of the agency’s informers. On June 5, he called the officer again and requested him to intervene with Customs officials in Mumbai airport for the release of seized laptops and mobile phones. The complainant refused, following which the threats were issued.
