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Danish Merchant, also known as Danish Chikna, a key associate of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in connection with a drugs case on Friday. Merchant, who allegedly manages Dawood's drug operations in the Dongri area, was arrested along with his associate, Kader Ghulam Sheikh.
According to Mumbai Police sources, Merchant was a wanted accused in the case. His arrest follows a months-long investigation that began with the arrest of two individuals - Mohammed Ashikur Sahidur Rahman and Rehan Shakeel Ansari - last month.
The chain of arrests began on November 8 when Rahman was caught near Marine Lines Station with 144 grams of drugs. During interrogation, Rahman revealed that the drugs had been procured from Ansari in Dongri. Acting on this information, police arrested Ansari and seized an additional 55 grams of narcotics. Ansari, in turn, revealed that the drugs were supplied by Danish Merchant and another associate, Qadir Fanta.
Police had been searching for Merchant and Fanta for several weeks. Acting on a tip-off, the police located both suspects in the Dongri area on December 13. A carefully planned operation led to their arrest. During questioning, the two confessed to their involvement in the drug racket.
In 2019, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) dismantled Dawood's drug factory in Dongri, seizing narcotics worth crores of rupees. At the time, Merchant was arrested in Rajasthan and remained in jail until his recent release.