In a dramatic turn of events, Mumbai police arrested 75-year-old Abdul Kadir Ali Mohammed, a close associate of the late drug smuggler Iqbal Mirchi, for demolishing and attempting to sell a Girgaon movie theatre plot for Rs 15 crore. The property, New Roshan Talkies, was provisionally attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 2020 as part of a money laundering investigation linked to Mirchi’s illicit empire.

The arrest, executed by V P Road police in south Mumbai on August 6, 2025, followed a complaint from ED officials. They discovered that the theatre, a relic of Mumbai’s cinematic history, had been razed last year despite the legal attachment. Abdul allegedly falsified ownership records to claim the plot and struck a deal with a Gwalior-based businessman, accepting a token payment for the Rs 15 crore transaction.

Investigations reveal that Abdul and Mirchi, acquaintances for over four decades, jointly purchased the theatre in 1982 for Rs 6 lakh, with Abdul’s account funding most of the deal. Authorities suspect Abdul manipulated property documents to transfer the plot into his name, bypassing the ED’s attachment order. The case, registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, includes charges of cheating, trespass, and mischief.

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Abdul was presented before a local court, which remanded him to police custody until August 8, 2025. The ED continues to probe Mirchi’s network, with this incident highlighting ongoing challenges in securing attached assets. The demolished theatre, once a cultural landmark, now stands as a symbol of Mumbai’s tangled web of crime and real estate fraud.

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