Major Breakthrough For India; Gujarat ATS Nabs Dawood's Close Aide Abdul Majid Absconding For 24 Years

In 1996, 124 Pakistani-made pistols, 750 rounds of ammunition, 4 kg of RDX and Rs 2.5 crore worth of explosives were seized. Abdul was accused of unloading the weapons.

In a major breakthrough for India, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has arrested underworld leader Dawood Ibrahim's close aide Abdul Majid Kutty. A fugitive accused in the 1996 Mehsana landing case, Majid was absconding for 24 years and was detained from Jharkhand on Sunday.

In 1996, 124 Pakistani-made pistols, 750 rounds of ammunition, 4 kg of RDX and Rs 2.5 crore worth of explosives were seized. Abdul was accused of unloading the weapons for a terrorist attack on Republic Day in 1997. Majid Kutty was wanted in the year 1996 and was absconding since then.

Mohammad Fazal and Qureshi Shakal, the other two accused in the case, were arrested earlier. Their interrogation revealed the involvement of Abdul Majid.

Majid was picked up from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand. According to the sources, he has met gangsters like Dawood, Chhota Shakeel, Chhota Rajan.

Dawood Ibrahim is one of India's most wanted men who, Pakistan admitted, lives in Karachi. The Indian home ministry has said that Dawood runs an international underworld crime syndicate and is involved in perpetrating acts of terror, promotion religious clashes, terror financing, arm smuggling, black money trading, narcotics, extortion and benami real estate business in both India and abroad.

The Pakistan government earlier this year issued notifications announcing sanctions on key figures of terror outfits such as 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Harfiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.