Dawood Ibrahim`s ex-aide Akhtar Merchant held near Mumbai

Akhtar Merchant, the former aide of India's most wanted don Dawood Ibrahim, was held on Friday in Nalasopara, near Mumbai. The 56-year-old was planning to flee to Nairobi.

He has been hiding in Bangladesh since 2018 after his role in the abduction of a Mira Road-based businessman was established.

Merchant who was into extortion and abduction had returned to Mumbai recently after he failed to obtain a passport in Bangladesh. Acting on a tip-off that Merchant would be visiting his wife in Nalasopara, the Mumbai cops laid a trap and arrested.