Don Fazlu Rehman arrested near Nepal

New Delhi: Underworld don Fazlu Rehman has been arrested by the Delhi Police from Gorakhpur near the Uttar Pradesh-Nepal border.

Rehman was facing an Interpol red corner notice, was arrested on Monday.

The don has been based in Dubai for the last 10 years and is reportedly an associate of Dawood Ibrahim.

He was wanted in over 20 cases of kidnapping and extortion and was arrested by special cell officers near Gorakhpur, Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul said.

"One of the most notorious mafia dons Fazlu Rehman has been arrested by the special cell of the Delhi Police. This is an excellent piece of work as he had been eluding police in various states," said K K Paul.

"He has committed henious crimes in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and several other states. There is an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him. He also happens to be on the Central Bureau of Investigation's most-wanted list," Paul added.

Fazlu's name spelt terror in the heart of the rich and famous. He started his crime career in Darbhanga, Bihar, and later came into contact with notorious mafia don Babloo Srivastava in Tihar jail in 1995.

In 1997 he escaped to Dubai where he took command of Irfan Gogag's gang after his death.

Fazlu made several sensational kidnappings for ransom which include that of industrialist Gautam Adani from Ahmedabad and Sanjay Aggarwal, owner of Pan Parag from Kanpur.

Fazlu has also disclosed making threats to the owner of Prafful Sarees, Pankaj Agrawal in Surat, at the instance of the family of film actress Shilpa Shetty.

The Surat Police will seek Rehman's custody as he is wanted in a case of extortion there.

Pankaj Agrawal had lodged a complaint in October 2003, stating that Rehman had made extortion threats to him.

Agrawal had stated in the complaint that Fazlu Rehman had made the extortion calls on the behest of Sunanda Shetty and Surendra Shetty, parents of actor Shilpa Shetty.

Shilpa Shetty's parents had appeared before the Surat Police, but Rehman was still an absconder in the case.

In 2003, with pressure mounting, Fazlu escaped to Malasiya and then to Nepal.

He collected most of the ransom through hawala channels.

The police is trying to verify whether that money was used to fund terrorism.

He has been remanded to police custody for 10 days.