Proclaimed international terrorist Dawood Ibrahim's brother, Mustaqeem Ibrahim Kaskar, has claimed that he is not associated with any betting apps, including Mahadev App. He further denied any contact with Ravi Uppal and Saurabh Chandrakar, who are wanted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Mahadev App scam. He said, as a true Muslim, he cannot indulge in gambling in any way since it is deemed "haram" in Islam. He stated that he would not engage in any activity not permitted in Islam.
'Name falsely dragged into controversy'
Mustaqeem, believed to be living in Karachi on a Pakistani passport (No. E424045 issued in Karachi on July 27, 1997), told the Free Press Journal over the phone recently that his name was falsely being dragged into the scam by Indian enforcement agencies. Mustaqeem, who was earlier living in Dubai, failed to get a resident visa in the UAE because of Interpol references.
Mustaqeem further claimed that he is not engaged in any activities related to terror operations or extortion. He describes himself as a businessman with established businesses in Dubai, Oman, and other Gulf countries. It may be recalled that some years ago, he had left Pakistan following serious differences with Dawood. But he was later persuaded by Dawood's close aide, Chhota Shakeel, to return to Pakistan. Dawood and his family are receiving 24x7 high-level protection from the Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Dawood's brother also denied the allegations made against him by Indian agencies. He stated that although his name was recently linked to the Mahadev betting app, he is not associated with any betting business. He stressed that he does not operate any betting business.
'Please let me know which illegal business I am running'
When asked about Amit Sharma, a close associate of Saurabh Chandrakar, who is known to be a business partner of Mustaqeem in betting and other illegal activities, he responded by saying, "Please let me know which illegal business I am running." Mustaqeem clarified that he knows Amit Sharma as a real estate consultant. He explained that he is involved in the construction business with several joint ventures in the UAE, having invested his money in these legitimate enterprises. Mustaqeem said he did meet Amit Sharma a few years ago, through a common friend, but that did not imply any business involvement with him.
When pointed out that the FIR registered in the Mahadev app case had his name and that of Amit Sharma, Mustaqeem claimed that he did not funnel any money through hawala into the app, nor did he have any business interest in certain real estate projects in the Mira-Bhayander region, as alleged by the Mumbai crime branch. "Instead of asking me these questions, please put them to Amit Sharma, who is a consultant to many people," Mustaqeem said.
Did not invest in any project in India, says Mustaqeem
While acknowledging that he knows Amit Sharma, Mustaqeem denied investing a single penny in any project in India. He clarified that his meeting with Sharma happened quite some time ago. According to him, he became aware of the association of Sharma's alleged links with betting syndicates through Indian newspapers. After conducting an inquiry, he found that Sharma provided services to various individuals, and these people invested their money in different projects through Sharma. Mustaqeem said that he personally did not invest any money in any project in India.
According to a reliable source, the Mumbai crime branch Special Investigation Team (SIT) during the investigation found that Amit Sharma was constantly in touch with Mustaqeem and was a partner with the don's brother in several businesses, including real estate, import-export, jewellery-making, and hawala-related operations. According to reliable sources, the name of a Dubai-based businessman has surfaced in the investigation of SIT. Apparently, this person has made investments in building projects in Mira Road.
'Never met Saurabh Chandrakar & Ravi Uppal'
When asked about his alleged connection with Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, and their alleged betting business operations in Pakistan, Mustaqeem claimed that he had never met them. He questioned how he could know with whom they were operating their business in Pakistan. When pressed further, inquiring if this meant he was not in Pakistan, he replied, "No."
Upon being asked about his current location, he asserted that it wasn't important for the inquiry. When queried about an update on Dawood Ibrahim's health and current condition, he promptly responded by expressing frustration, claiming that the media, police, and law enforcement agencies consistently fabricate stories about his family, damaging their reputation. He emphasized that no one desires to pass down such a tarnished legacy to the next generation, as it could potentially ruin their entire lives. He pointed out that family members and relatives residing in India face numerous problems and issues with the police and other agencies.
