Iqbal Mirchi

Mohammad Iqbal Memon (25 April 1950 – 14 August 2013), known as Iqbal Mirchi, was an Indian underworld figure, known as the right-hand man of India's most wanted criminal, Dawood Ibrahim. Mirchi was often called a drug baron for his thriving narcotics business across Asia, Africa and Europe. On 1 June 2004, he was sanctioned under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act. Mirchi first gained notoriety in the early 1990s as one of the world's top drug lords, and a major figurehead in the 1993 Bombay bombings.

Memon's family originally owned shops selling chillies and spices and thus he got the nickname 'Mirchi' (lit. 'chili'). Mirchi's fortunes soared after he began smuggling in banned meth tablets, heroin and Mandrax. He also owned a disco called The Fisherman's Wharf at Worli seafront in Mumbai which was a hotbed for narcotics.

In May 1986, Mirchi was first nabbed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in connection with the seizing of 600 kg of heroin — valued at around Rs 9 crore — from a farmhouse in Thane. However, prosecutors could not link Mirchi with the farmhouse and he was let off. When the heat became too much, Mirchi left India in late 1980s first to Dubai and later to London. The front for all his businesses in the UK was a rice mill called Eden Fine Rice.

He was first arrested by Interpol in London in April 1995, following a red corner notice for his arrest issued by the CBI. An extradition request was made on the basis that Mirchi was wanted for ordering a murder, and was the prime suspect in two drug seizure cases.

However, in 1999, all investigations of Iqbal Mirchi were called off for lack of evidence. The Indian government also lost its extradition proceedings against Mirchi. Mirchi died of a heart attack in London, at the age of 63 in 2013. At the time of his death, a new investigation went underway, linking him to Indian Premier League match-fixing and several drug offenses.

Mirchi always claimed that he was a victim of persecution, and that all the allegations against him were unfounded and biased. In an interview with The Guardian in London, Mirchi maintained his stance, explaining that was how he won his extradition proceedings. Mirchi also denied being associated with Dawood Ibrahim in any way. In addition, Mirchi claimed he was a "law-abiding person with no convictions," and that he was "being victimised for being a successful businessman".

Though many allegations were produced in the media against Mirchi, he was never formally charged or convicted of any crime. In April 2016, Mirchi was named in the Panama papers for stashing black money in foreign bank accounts.

Personal life

Iqbal Mirchi married twice. His first wife is Hajira Memon, by whom he has two sons, Asif and Junaid. All of them live in the United Kingdom. Mirchi's second wife is the former actress Heena Kausar, daughter of the famous film-maker K. Asif (producer-director of the epic Mughal-e-Azam) by his third wife, the actress Nigar Sultana. Mirchi and Heena got married in 1991 and they had no children together. Heena also continues to reside in the United Kingdom after Mirchi's death.

Nexus with authorities

Mirchi had close ties with officers of Mumbai Police Anti-narcotics Cell. The files pertaining to cases registered against Mirchi had gone missing in 1995 when Indian government had decided to participate in extradition process in London Court.

The suspicious nexus of Mumbai Police officials of Anti-narcotics Cell with the drug cartels continued even after departure of IPS Rahul Rai Sur from India. Senior Inspector Suhas Gokhle of Anti-narcotics Cell of Mumbai Police was arrested with drug-cartel Queen Baby Patankar in 2015 as his involvement in the trafficking of notified narcotic substances was found. A police constable from Marine Lines police station was arrested in the same case when the drugs were recovered from a cupboard in the police station at Marine Lines. Recently in September 2023 Pune Police seized narcotics from a prison inmate of Yerawada jail who being treated in Sassoon Hospital in Pune. Lalit Patil, the new drug-lord escaped from hospital two days after the seizure on the evening of 2nd October 2023. The cops on dity were arrested in the offence. Involvement of politicians has been reported in media channels. Pune Crime Branch had not posted its own personnel to guard Lalit Patil even after the seizure in the hospital premises from him. Patil was already im judicial custody in another drug case since year 2020 when the Pune Police seized drugs from his hospital room on 30th September, 2023. The Crime Branch Dy. Commissioner of Pune is under suspicious for his decision to let Lalit Patil be shown as WANTED accused in the case when he was very much in the hospital room from where the DCP of Crime Branch of Pune Police had seized cell phones used by Patil for drug trade.