The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday sent letters rogatory to Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, seeking information on gangster Dawood Ibrahim's dealings in the gutkha (a tobacco product) industry, PTI reported. The CBI filed charges against Dawood and also chargesheeted his brother Anees Ibrahim and brother-in-law Abdul Hamid Antulay, in addition to the owners of Manikchand Gutkha, JM Joshi and RM Dhariwal.

Through the formal requests sent by the investigative agency, it has sought judicial assistance into their investigation. According to CBI officials, Dhariwal illegally supplied gutkha in Dubai through a front company set up by Dawood, ANI reported. Both owners of Manikchand also allegedly helped Anees set up a gutkha plant in Hyderabad in Pakistan’s Sindh province. The case was originally investigated by the Mumbai Police before being handed over to the CBI.

Dawood, accused of masterminding the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, has eluded capture by Indian authorities so far. Earlier this month, a United Nations committee confirmed that six of nine Pakistani addresses submitted to it by India had previously been used by the underworld don. In February, Dawood’s nephew Sohail Kaskar was arrested by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, along with two Pakistani nationals, on narco-terrorism charges.