New Delhi: Undeterred by the action of the United Arab Emirate (UAE) authorities in deporting Anees Ibrahim to Pakistan, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on December 18 sent its extradition request for the underworld don to External Affairs Ministry.

Highly placed CBI sources said the extradition request for Anees had been sent to Ministry of External Affairs, which would be sent to authorities in Abu Dhabi.

The Interpol in Abu Dhabi had sent a formal communication to the CBI on December 11 to "process the extradition request for Anees".

However, two days after this, Anees was granted bail by a Dubai court in a murder case and deported to Karachi.

The sources said the extradition case highlighted his involvement in hatching a criminal conspiracy in 1992, which led to serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in March 1993.

Besides his involvement in the Mumbai blasts, Anees was also wanted in nearly 70 cases of murder, attempts to murder, extortion, kidnapping for ransom pending against him in several states.

Anees was arrested in Dubai on December 3 following which the CBI had rushed a senior official A K Gupta, deputy director (co-ordination) and incharge of Interpol- CBI relation, to the port city to try for his being brought to India.

Anees was detained by Dubai authorities in 1996 but was later left off for want of evidence. He was again arrested in Bahrain in late '90s, but was later shifted to Dubai, from where he was released.

PTI