Mumbai: Two gangsters owing allegiance to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim deported from Dubai following a request by India, were arrested by Mumbai police on their arrival.

Riyaz Siddiqui and Rajkumar Sharma were arrested, on their arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport by a team of crime branch officials.

Crime Branch officials said both the gangsters were close associates of the underworld don. They had fled to Dubai and helped the Dawood in managing the underworld operations.

Both were wanted in cases of murder, attempt to murder and other serious crimes. Courts in Mumbai had issued red corner notices against them and these were handed over to the Interpol.

With their deportation, the Dawood gang has suffered a set back, police sources said. Six Dawood gangsters, including the brother of the underworld don have been deported in the recent past. They are Majnu Mustafa, Ejaz Pathan, Imran Rehman Khan, Iqbal Kaskar, Mohammed Altaf and Anil Parab.

Pathan and Mustafa were involved in the 1993 serial bomb blast case and are facing trial under Terrorist and Disrupted Activities Act (TADA), while Khan and Altaf are booked under Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in connection with Ghatkopar blast case.

Kaskar is facing charges of extortion and land- grabbing and Parab is charged with murder of his own wife and a builder.

PTI