The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested Danish Merchant, better known as Danish Chikna, a close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, from Goa. The arrest, confirmed by Dainik Jagran, comes as part of an ongoing crackdown on Dawood’s drug operations spread across India.
According to NCB officials, Danish was detained late Tuesday night in a coordinated operation led by the Mumbai unit after credible intelligence inputs about his location. He is accused of overseeing a major drug supply chain across Mumbai’s Dongri area, a stronghold long associated with Dawood’s syndicate. Officials said he played a “significant role” in managing the narcotics distribution network and financing local suppliers.
“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 agency confirmed.
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Dawood’s link to the drug network
As per News18, Danish is believed to have handled Dawood’s narcotics operations across multiple Indian cities. His arrest follows that of Dubai-based handler Mohammed Salim Sheikh, who was deported earlier this month for running a mephedrone manufacturing network in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. Officials say Danish coordinated the domestic leg of the same network, linking street-level dealers with handlers abroad.
The NCB and Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell are now tracking financial trails and communication records to map the full extent of Dawood’s drug supply chain. Officials said more arrests are expected as investigations continue.
From Dongri’s crime alleys to Goa
Danish Chikna is the son of 1980s gangster Yusuf Merchant, alias Yusuf Chikna, who has been on law enforcement radar for years. In April 2021, he was arrested in Rajasthan after a 1,200-km chase for running a clandestine drug lab in Mumbai’s Dongri.
He was again held in December 2024 by the Mumbai Police’s Anti-Narcotics Cell after two peddlers identified him as their supplier. He was remanded to judicial custody at that time.
Officials say the latest arrest marks a crucial step in dismantling Dawood Ibrahim’s narcotics infrastructure, which has continued to operate through proxies in India even as the underworld don remains abroad.
Both News18 and Dainik Jagran reported that Danish’s interrogation is expected to yield key leads into Dawood’s local operations, funding routes, and offshore coordination.
