Mumbai: Police today (July 20, 2004) said notorious gangster Iqbal Mirchi-- trusted man of underworld don-- Dawood Ibrahim has been detained by Enforcement agencies in the United States and likely to be deported soon.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satya Pal Singh said that Mirchi had been detained in the United States, while another gangster Ejaz Lakdawala was detained 'somewhere abroad', and refused the give details about his location.

Singh also stated that the intimation about their detention was received a month ago, and their deportation or extradition was expected soon.

The Crime Branch chief also said that teams were likely to be sent to the places where Mirchi and Lakdawala have been held to seek their custody.

Dawood aide Tariq Parveen was deported last night from Dubai and the likely deportation or extradition of Mirchi and Lakdawala will give a big impetus to the fight of Mumbai police against the already beleaguered underworld, police sources said.

Mirchi, Crime Branch officials said was wanted more for his involvement in narco-trafficking than extortion or smuggling business for which the Dawood gang is notorious.

Lakdawala, on other hand, figures in several extortion cases booked by the crime branch and several of his gang members are already in jail on extortion charges, sources said.

Mumbai Police Commissioner, A N Roy, however, refused to confirm if Mirchi or Lakdawala would be deported to India. "It is no point to talk unless we have concrete information about their deportation", he said.

Roy said, the Mumbai police's thrust has always been to have all such elements extradited who are involved in the organised crime in Mumbai. Information of all such persons has been sent to the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation).

There have also been instances like Parveen's case where Dubai authorities make members of underworld board planes to Mumbai, he said.

Nearly a dozen members of the Dawood gang have been deported to Mumbai in the last one year, important being Dawood's younger brother Iqbal Kaskar.