Mumbai: A local court on March 6 remanded Iqbal Hasan Khaikh Kaskar, younger brother of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, to judicial custody till March 20 in a murder case.

He was produced in burkha amidst tight security before magistrate S S Shirke.

Early this week, the magistrate had modified his order to remand Iqbal to police custody till March 6. On a plea by crime branch sleuths, he had earlier remanded the accused to police custody till March 14. The court modified its order to bring down the remand period to March 6 after police admitted its lapse of seeking police custody beyond 14 days of his arrest.

Iqbal was arrested on February 20 for murder of a customs informer. He was arrested at airport on arrival from Dubai after being deported by authorities. The investigation was entrusted to M R A Marg police station which registered the crime in 1998.

Crime branch stepped into the case a week after Iqbal's arrest and took over investigations. They produced him before another magistrate who remanded him to custody till today.

Iqbal is facing the charge of murder of customs informer, Ravindra Babulal Singh, who was killed with pistol and choppers on September 21, 1998. He is booked for offences under section 302 and 120 (b) of IPC.

Five persons have already been arrested in this case and granted bail. Noora, another brother of Dawood, was also wanted in this case, according to police.

PTI