Mumbai: In a major breakthrough in land grabbing case, police today (Jan 27, 2004) arrested three officers of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on the charge of conniving with Dawood Ibrahim gang to illegally develop shopping plazas in the city.

BMC Assistant Commissioner Kiran Acharekar, Executive Engineer Hansmukh Pravin Shah and Assistant Engineer Sirish Madhukar Salvekar were produced before special judge A P Bhangale who remanded them to police custody till January 30.

They are facing the charge of conniving with Iqbal Kaskar, Dawood's brother, to help underworld in channelising money in the real estate.

Iqbal and three others are in judicial custody in this case. They are also charged with forcibly evicting a woman from her house to illegally develop Sara Shopping Centre and Sahara Shopping Complex in South Mumbai.

The other accused in custody are Abdul Rehman, Satar Teli, Tanwar and Narendra Rajbhar. Rajbhar has been granted interim bail till February 16 to enable civic body complete departmental inquiry against him.