Film financier Yusuf Lakdawala dies in jail

Mumbai, September 9

Builder and film financier Yusuf Lakdawala, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case stemming from a land deal, died at the Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai on Thursday, an official said.

Lakdawala (76) was brought dead to government-run JJ Hospital and his death was announced at around 12 pm though the cause was not immediately known, the official said.

The exact cause of his death will be ascertained after a post-mortem, he said.

According to sources, Lakdawala was suffering from cancer.

A case of accidental death has been registered, the official said.

The ED had arrested Lakdawala in May in a money laundering case stemming from a land deal. He was accused of forging documents to purchase a land worth Rs 50 crore in Khandala, a hill station in Pune district.

He was currently in jail under judicial custody.

The ED had opposed Lakdawala’s bail plea on medical grounds last month. —PTI