The Bombay High Court had granted him bail last year, following which he filed a discharge application before the special court for UAPA cases
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A Mumbai court refused to discharge a member of the Dawood Ibrahim gang in an alleged terror funding case, holding that there was enough evidence to show his apparent involvement in the crime, reported the PTI.
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The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested Parvez Vaid in August 2022, acting on information that fugitive gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees were sending money acquired out of "proceeds of crime" to India for terrorist activities through their associates in the country.
Parvez Vaid was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly being members of a terrorist organization, as well as under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
The Bombay High Court granted him bail last year, following which he filed a discharge application before the special court for UAPA cases.
Judge B D Shelke, in the order passed on Tuesday, held that from the statements of witnesses and documents "it can be safely gathered that there are sufficient grounds for proceeding against the accused", according to the PTI.
"There is material available on record in respect of the activities of accused....(and his) involvement in unlawful activities of collecting money, sending money and engaging in acts related to the gang of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and his associates," the special judge said, as per the PTI.
Witnesses' statements are supported by documentary evidence, bank slips and entries in the statements of account, he added.
Parvez Vaid, in the discharge application filed through advocates Samsher Garud and Vighnesh Iyer, contended that no narcotic drug or substance was recovered from his possession, and the charge sheet was silent on what was the conspiracy that was hatched.
"He was arrested only on the basis of so-called secret information and suspicion, and the allegations have not been substantiated by any admissible evidence," the lawyers argued.
But special public prosecutor Jaysing Desai submitted that the Maharashtra ATS had seized two mobile phones from Vaid's house, and it was found that he was in contact with an international terrorist in Dubai through the Signal messaging app.
Chats with a co-accused about drugs business were found in his phones, and the money earned from this business was used for terrorist activities in India, the prosecution claimed.
Vaid and others were allegedly engaged in threatening businessmen, sometimes opening fire (to scare them), and extorting money from them for Dawood and Anees Ibrahim, it said, the news agency reported on Wednesday.
(with PTI inputs)
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