The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday filed an FIR at VP Road police station against Abdul Kader Ali Mohammed for allegedly encroaching upon and selling a property in South Mumbai that had been attached in connection with the ongoing case against underworld figure Iqbal Mirchi and others.

The property in question is New Roshan Talkies, located in Girgaon. It was one of several assets linked to Iqbal Mirchi, who was accused of smuggling and underworld activities.

The ED had attached the property in October 2020 as part of its investigation, which began in 2019 and has led to the arrest of several people, including former DHFL promoter Kapil Wadhawan.

ED officials learned in June 2025 that Abdul Kader Ali Mohammed had allegedly encroached on the property and entered into a Rs 15 crore sale deal, despite it being under attachment. The agency began investigating the encroachment and demolition of the structure.

Their investigation found that Iqbal Siraj Qureshi had been living on the premises for over 35 years in a temporary house and was working for Mukhtar Patka, a relative of Mirchi, who paid him a monthly wage.

Patka told the ED that he managed the theatre’s operations since 1999 on the instructions of Mirchi, and continued to operate from the property even after its attachment.

In September 2024, Abdul Kader Ali Mohammed approached Patka claiming ownership of the property and informed him about the planned demolition. Despite being told that the property was under ED attachment, he went ahead with the demolition.

According to the ED, Abdul Kader had known Iqbal Mirchi since 1965 and they had jointly agreed to purchase the property in 1982 for Rs 6 lakh. A token amount of Rs 60,000 was paid equally by both.

Abdul Kader later claimed he paid the remaining Rs 5.4 lakh but failed to produce any documentary proof of this transaction.

Possession of the property was reportedly taken in 1983, and it was handed over to Patka for safekeeping and operations. In 2023, Abdul Kader executed a deed of conveyance in his name, without informing or contacting the legal heirs of either Iqbal Mirchi or the original sellers.

In November 2023, Abdul Kader signed a sale agreement with Govind Bansal for Rs 15 crore and accepted a token payment of Rs 99 lakh. He also sold theatre materials and scrap to another individual for Rs 5 lakh in cash.

The ED stated that Abdul Kader failed to explain why no deed of conveyance was executed in 1983 or why he did not inform the legal heirs before executing the 2023 deed. The agency also noted that a petition has been filed by Junaid Iqbal Memon, son of Iqbal Mirchi, seeking the removal of encroachment from the property.

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