Dawood Ibrahim's Aide Danish Merchant Arrested in Mumbai Drug Case

Mumbai Police on December 13, 2024, arrested Danish Merchant, popularly known as Danish Chikna, Dawood Ibrahim's right-hand man, in a drug peddling case. Merchant was in charge of running Dawood's drug trade business in the Dongri area. In the process, along with Merchant, his sidekick Qadir Gulam Sheikh was also arrested.

Danish was a wanted suspect, according to police sources. He was arrested following an investigation that began last month after Mohammad Ashiqur Sahidur Rehman and Rehan Shakeel Ansari were detained.

The investigation started on November 8, when Rehman was arrested near Marine Lines station with 144 grams of drugs. Under interrogation, Rehman revealed that he had sourced the drugs from Ansari in Dongri. Subsequently, Ansari was arrested with another 55 grams of narcotics. He further revealed that the supply came from Danish Merchant and his associate Qadir Fanta.

Arrest Operation

After weeks of searching, Mumbai Police located Merchant and Fanta in the Dongri area based on a tip-off. The police arrested them in a well-coordinated operation. During interrogation, both confessed to their involvement in the drug racket.

Danish's Criminal History

Danish has a previous run-in with the law. In 2019, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted Dawood's drug factory in Dongri, and drugs worth crores were seized. During the operation, Danish was caught in Rajasthan and has now been released from jail.