• Source:JND
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The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of Danish Merchant, alias Danish Chikna, a key associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Danish Chikna has been arrested from Goa in connection with a drug trafficking case. The arrest was made following a late-night operation by NCB's Mumbai unit after credible inputs about Danish Chikna's presence in the city.

According to NCB officials, Danish was apprehended late Tuesday night and taken into custody for questioning regarding the supply and distribution of contraband substances in Mumbai and adjoining areas. Officials said he played a "significant role" in managing parts of the Dongri-based drug syndicate allegedly linked to Dawood Ibrahim's network.

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"Mumbai NCB arrested Danish Chikna, an absconding accused in a drug case. Danish Merchant, alias Danish Chikna, an associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in Goa in connection with an MD drug case," the Mumbai NCB said.

According to media reports, the latest arrest is part of a wider crackdown on remnants of Dawood Ibrahim's operations in Mumbai. The NCB and Mumbai Police are jointly tracing the financial routes and supply networks connected to Danish and his associates. Officials indicated that further arrests are likely as teams investigate the flow of narcotics and funds tied to the syndicate.

Who Is Danish Chikna?

Danish Merchant, better known by his underworld moniker Danish Chikna, is a long-time associate of Dawood Ibrahim's network operating in Mumbai's Dongri area. He is the son of Yusuf Merchant, also known as Yusuf Chikna, a gangster active in the 1980s and 1990s who was part of the same syndicate.

Danish has been on the radar of law enforcement agencies for several years for allegedly overseeing local narcotics supply chains and coordinating with peddlers operating across Mumbai. He is said to have maintained connections with several arrested drug traffickers, including Arif Bhujwala and Chinku Pathan, both accused of running manufacturing and distribution operations on behalf of Dawood Ibrahim's network.

Danish Chikna Previous Cases And Arrests

In April 2021, the NCB had arrested Danish in Rajasthan after a 1,200-kilometre chase. He was accused of operating a clandestine drug lab in Dongri and sourcing synthetic drugs for Mumbai's party circuit. The agency claimed to have seized hashish and chemicals used in methamphetamine production from his possession.

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He was again detained in December 2024 by the Mumbai Police's Anti-Narcotics Cell, following the arrest of two peddlers who allegedly identified him as their supplier. At the time, he was remanded to judicial custody after preliminary interrogation.

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