The owner of Goa gutka, J M Joshi, in a television interview on Tuesday denied he had any links with the underworld and said it was Rasiklal Dhariwal of Manikchand Gutka who dealt with gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
The two gutka barons -- who are abroad -- are wanted by the Central Bureau of Investigation. They are accused of having helped Anees Ibrahim, Dawood's brother, set up a gutka manufacturing facility in Karachi.
Joshi told Aaj Tak that he severed all ties with Rasiklal the moment he came to know of the latter's involvement with Dawood.
Joshi said he came to know about the ties during a visit to Dubai, where Rasiklal was meeting some of Dawood's associates to negotiate the commission to be paid to the gangster.
"The moment I landed in India after that trip, I went straight to Rasiklal's son, Vijay Prakash Dhariwal, and told him of his father's underworld links," said Joshi.
He added that he wanted to severe all ties with the Dhariwal family, but was restrained by Vijay Prakash, who promised to stand by him even if it came down to opposing his father.
Meanwhile, the Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the Mumbai police to refrain from executing the non-bailable warrants issued against the gutka barons until their plea was heard on Wednesday.
Justice R M S Khandeparkar and Justice P V Kakade adjourned to Wednesday the petitions filed by Rasiklal and Joshi, challenging the NBW issued by a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act court.
Both pleaded that though the police had summoned them for questioning, they had informed the police about their inability to come to India at this juncture as their NRI status would be disturbed.
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