ED files FIR after trespassers break into Thane flat attached in Iqbal Kaskar case

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a criminal case with the Thane police after trespassers broke into a residential flat attached in an anti-money laundering investigation linked to Iqbal Kaskar, brother of fugitive underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim.

The agency said on Friday that unidentified individuals entered the property in Thane West, tampered with its locks, tore down official possession notices, and attempted to claim ownership. Investigators moved quickly to protect the government-held asset, securing directions from the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court before moving in with local police to evict the intruders and restore statutory control.

Property timeline and legal action

The apartment was originally seized as part of a probe into an extortion racket run by Kaskar and his associates, who used threats to coerce a local real estate developer into surrendering flats.

Swift restoration of attached assets

According to the agency, the flat had been registered in the name of Mumtaz Azaz Sheikh, also known as Raju, a co-accused alongside Kaskar and Israr Ali Jamil Saiyad. The extortion investigation began with a local police FIR in Thane before federal financial investigators stepped in to trace the proceeds of crime under the PMLA.

Once the breach was detected, the federal agency brought the matter directly before the Special PMLA Court. The court instructed the agency to re-enter the premises and take back possession using police assistance if required.

Agency officials, accompanied by Thane police personnel and independent witnesses, replaced the lock on the flat and affixed a fresh warning notice on the door. The notice makes clear that the property remains under federal custody and directs anyone disputing ownership to petition either the agency directly or the special trial court rather than taking the law into their own hands.

Decisive enforcement against underworld networks

The subsequent FIR was registered on 15 October at Kasarvadavali police station in Thane to identify the perpetrators and press criminal charges.

Federal authorities emphasised that the swift police complaint and re-possession operation are intended to serve as a strict deterrent against anyone attempting to undermine sovereign asset seizures. The action highlights the state's zero-tolerance approach toward underworld syndicates, demonstrating that state agencies possess both the legal authority and administrative resolve to safeguard attached crime proceeds and uphold the rule of law.