Mumbai: MCOCA court sentences Gutka baron JM Joshi, 2 others to 10 yrs in jail

Mumbai: A special MCOCA court sentenced gutka manufacturer JM Joshi and two others to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for conspiring with fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to set up gutka units for him in Pakistan in 2002.

It imposed fine of over Rs 15 lakh on each of them. Mr Dawood is a wanted accused in the case along with three others, including his brother Anees Ibrahim.

Convicts

Those sentenced are Mr Joshi, Jamiruddin Ansari and Farooq Mansuri alias Farooq Takla. As per the prosecution’s case, there was a financial dispute between Mr Joshi and gutka businessman Rasiklal Dhariwal, as the latter owed him Rs259 crore. Mr Dhariwal died pending trial. Mr Joshi had approached a relative to help settle the matter. Mr Dhariwal settled the matter with the help of Dawood who he got in touch through Mr Anees. In the settlement, he paid Mr Joshi only Rs 11 crore. As Dawood had helped the duo settle the issue, he took their help to set up gutka units in Karachi, Pakistan.

Special Judge BD Shelke ordered two persons to be compensated Rs1.32 lakh each from the fine amount of each of the three convicts. These are partners from an export agency who were compelled by Mr Ansari to buy gutka packaging machinery and also export it. The court noted that Mr Joshi and Mr Ansari have both undergone over four years in jail and the duration they spent as undertrials before they secured bail be deducted from their sentence.

Special Public Prosecutor for the CBI Pradip Gharat said the prosecution examined 38 witnesses in the case. Mr Gharat said a close relative of Mr Dawood was one of the witnesses during the trial and had narrated how he was threatened by Mr Anees to carry two parcels to Pakistan when on a visit to the country. A key witness in the case was an employee of Joshi, who the latter promised a job in an African country and instead took by deception to Karachi, where he was confined for three years and made to set up the gutka factory for Dawood.

Timeline

2002

JM Joshi, others conspire and help Dawood set up gutka manufacturing units in Pakistan

2005

Case transferred to CBI after roles of Joshi and Rasiklal Dhariwal surface

2016

Trial begins

2023

Special court sentences three including Gutka businessman JM Joshi to 10 yrs jail, Rs 15L fine