Police Arrest Alleged D-Company Associate Akhtar Merchant at Delhi Airport

A special team from the Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar police has arrested Akhtar Merchant, an alleged associate of underworld figure Dawood Ibrahim, at Delhi Airport in connection with a 2023 firing incident in the Kashimira area of Mira-Bhayandar.

Merchant arrived in India from Saudi Arabia via Nepal. He had spent years living in Vietnam, where he worked as an English language trainer while evading law enforcement under an Interpol Red Corner Notice.

The arrest relates to a 2023 extortion attempt and shooting at the International Bakery in Kashimira. According to Additional Commissioner of Police Sanjay Vilas Shintre, Merchant allegedly demanded a share of profits from local trader Ismail Patel, known locally as "Babu" or the "Gutkha King," who was involved in the sale of gutkha and pan masala.

When Patel failed to meet the extortion demands, Merchant and his associates reportedly entered the bakery and opened fire, issuing further threats of violence if an agreement was not reached.

Merchant is linked to eight criminal cases across Mumbai, nearby regions, and Gujarat, involving allegations of extortion, kidnapping, armed robbery, criminal intimidation, dacoity, and counterfeiting. Police state that he previously helped expand extortion operations for the D-Company syndicate in and around Mumbai.

The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had arrested Merchant in 2022, but he disappeared after securing bail. Investigators are now interrogating him to uncover the full extent of the extortion network and its links to the illegal gutkha trade.