Mumbai: Fugitive gangster Ejaz Lakdawala and wanted US national Allan Water John are likely to be deported soon, Mumbai police said.

Joint Police Commissioner (Crime), Mumbai, Satya Pal Singh who had earlier in the day (July 19, 2004) claimed that Dawood keyman, Iqbal Mirchi was likely to be deported, later clarified that it was Allan Water John and not Mirchi who was traced in the United States and was likely to be deported.

While Allan Water John is wanted for some criminal cases pending against him in Mumbai, Lakdawala, a trusted lieutenant of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, is wanted in several cases of extortion in Mumbai in the past few years. Several men of Lakdawala have been arrested by Mumbai police who claim they have evidence to prove that the extortion threats were issued by Ejaz Lakdawala from abroad.

Meanwhile, Tariq Parvin, an associate of Dawood Ibrahim, is also expected to be deported from Dubai soon, Singh said.

Parvin had expressed desire to return to Mumbai and face legal consequences of the crimes he had allegedly committed before he fled to Dubai, the Joint Police Commissioner said.

Dubai police in turn got in touch with Mumbai police and the process of deportation is being worked out, police sources said.

Tariq Parveen and Dawood man Faheem Machmach have been booked by Mumbai police recently for allegedly threatening a builder and attempting to extort money from him.

Singh said the deportation of criminals would be a major blow to the underworld which is already reeling under sagging morale.

Of all extortion threats received by people in city last year, 20 per cent were from organised criminal gangs or the underworld figures, Singh said, adding that this figure has reduced to 10 per cent this year.

Mumbai police have also denied that Abul Salem and Chota Shakeel had distanced themselves from Dawood Ibrahim.

Endorsing recent reports of central agencies which said that the Dawood gang had deliberately spread the news to create confusion among state agencies, Singh said that Salem and Shakeel still remain the trusted men of Dawood.

"Never in our records did we register that Salem and Shakeel had differences with Dawood", he added.

Replying to a question Singh said the deportation of Salem's wife Monica from Portugal was being looked after by the CBI and the Mumbai police was not in picture so far.