Following accusations of being protected by Dawood Ibrahim, Nadeem Saifi says he's consulting lawyers over 'baseless' reports
Musician Nadeem Saifi has suggested that he may take legal action against the media publication that alluded to his association with Dawood Ibrahim, after revelations on Monday indicated that the artiste was apparently being protected by the underworld don. "I am consulting my lawyers. If they advice me to do so, I may take action," Saifi tells mid-day. The musician, one half of the popular duo Nadeem-Shravan, jetted off to UK after his name cropped up in the 1997 murder case of Gulshan Kumar. The media outlet suggested that call intercepts dating to 2015 were indicative that Saifi may have been getting protection from Ibrahim on foreign turf. The developments arise in the wake of the Modi government's pursuit of India's extradition pleas for fugitives overseas.
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Nadeem Saifi
Rubbishing the reports, Saifi, who is currently residing in Dubai, says, "These are baseless allegations. People are trying to defame me. The story refers to a conversation tapped in 2015. Where were these guys for two years? Since they [Indian government] don't have anything [development] in the Gulshan Kumar case, they are trying to frame me. I am ready to be investigated. They can check my bank accounts. I am being made a scapegoat. No one is protecting me. I have never spoken to anyone."
Also read: Nadeem Saifi: I want to make a personal comeback, not just a professional one
The report speaks of a reference to a certain "Ustad", a "goggled man" and a "London friend" in the intercepts, and suggests that they may be indicative of Saifi. But, the musician questions how the code names point towards him. "I don't wear them [goggles], and I am not an ustad. Have they mentioned my name in the conversation?" He also points out that the transcript refers to a singer, an art, he says, he isn't associated with. "When did I sing? I am a music composer." Finally, he says he could not be a 'London friend', given that he has been residing in Dubai for the last 10 years.
Dawood Ibrahim
Saifi's unwillingness to return to India stems from a fear of being framed. "There are no cases pending against me, but, I fear that if I come back, they will arrest me. I don't want my family to be tortured. In fact, my parents are ailing, but, I am not able to see them." Saifi also says that the Indian government has been inaccurate in associating him with the case. "The UK High Court judgment said that 'the accusation of murder and conspiracy made against this applicant is not made in good faith'. I am a free man. I have won five court cases. I have proved my innocence."
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