JM Joshi, owner of Goa Gutka, and two others, a special court in Mumbai Monday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after they were found guilty under stringent sections of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Joshi and his two co-accused – 1993 Bombay serial blast accused Mohammed Farukh and Jamiruddin Ansari – were also found guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case pertained to setting up gutka manufacturing units in Pakistan for fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees. Dawood, Anees and others are named absconding accused in the case. Rasiklal Dhariwal, the founder of Manikchand Group, was also named as an accused in the case. The case against him was abated after he passed away in 2017. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), through special public prosecutor Pradip Gharat, had claimed that a dispute over money arose between Dhariwal and his former business partner Joshi, who branched out to start Goa Gutka.
The CBI alleged that the dispute was taken to Dawood for a settlement. In lieu of the settlement, Dawood had allegedly sought their assistance in setting up a gutka manufacturing unit in Pakistan in 2002. The CBI claimed that the manufacturing company was to be called “Fire Gutkha Company”. As per the charges against Joshi, he had allegedly taken the responsibility of aiding and assisting in the installation of the machinery to bring the plant into operation, in lieu of the settlement. The accused also faced allegations of kidnapping a person and taking him from India to Karachi via Dubai for setting up the units. The detailed order of the court is yet to be made available.
Also Read: MG Motor Unveils New SUV With Autonomous Level 2 Tech
