Sunday, July 24 2005 15:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Aslam Momin, senior inspector of Mumbai Crime Branch, who has been dismissed from service for his alleged links with the underworld, had telephonic talks with members of Dawood Ibrahim gang, police sources said yesterday (July 23, 2005).

Senior police inspector, Aslam Momin, who was handling sensitive cases like the probe into the connection of bookie Shobhan Mehta with cricket players, was dismissed from service Friday (July 22, 2005)by Mumbai police commissioner A N Roy under Article 311 of the Constitution.

The Constitutional provision, which provides exemplary powers to dismiss government servant, are used in 'rarest of the rare cases,' senior police officials told sources.

Roy confirmed Momin's dismissal, and said that the action was taken for 'his links with the underworld and the organised crime syndicates'. He refused to elaborate further.

Mumbai police sources said that they had tape-recorded telephonic conversation of the inspector with members of the Dawood gang. Momin was not available for comment.

According to a senior police official, usually when a Government servant defaults in duty, a departmental proceeding follows.

However, when the default is grave enough and against public interest, and disciplinary procedures can prove insufficient, then the powers under Article 311 of the Constitution are exercised.

Meanwhile, police sources said that two more officials of the Mumbai Crime Branch might be dismissed. However, Roy dismissed these reports as baseless.