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
