Mumbai, Oct 15: A special court has modified bail conditions of a municipal engineer, arrested under a stringent law for allegedly helping Dawood Ibrahim's crime syndicate to illegally develop shopping plazas here.
The conditions were modified as the accused could not afford to find sureties and continued to languish in prison although he obtained bail a month ago from a sessions court.
Narendra rajbhar, employed as assistant civil engineer with Brihanmumbai municipal corporation, was granted bail on September 12 by designated Judge A P Bhangale on furnishing two or more sureties of Rs ten lakhs. Unable to provide sureties for the prescribed amount, Rajbhar continued in detention at central prison here. On October 13, his lawyer Dipesh Mehta urged the court to modify the conditions. Accordingly, the judge modified his order to allow sureties of unequal amounts. He would also face a departmental inquiry within 45 days of his release on bail.
Rajbhar was granted bail on the ground that he had to face a departmental inquiry within 45 days and therefore, he should be available for the probe. The court relied upon the letter written by BMC to Rajbhar in this regard, this letter was produced in the court by Rajbhar's lawyer Dipesh Mehta.

Rajbhar was arrested on August 20 under Maharashtra Control of Organised CrAme act (MCOCA). He is charged with helping Dawood Ibrahim in constructing illegally Sara Shopping Centre and Sahara Shopping Complex in South Mumbai.
Others arrested are Dawood's brother Iqbal Kaskar and two others. Deported from Dubai recently, Iqbal spilled the beans, allegedly disclosing that the shopping plazas were Benami properties of the don.
Bureau Report