CBI has written a letter of rogatory to the UAE seeking details of a few Bollywood personalities who stayed in Dubai hotels in the 1990s and reportedly enjoyed the hospitality of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Officials said they had asked the Dubai authorities to furnish details of all the Bollywood personalities who visited Dubai frequently. It was common for Bollywood stars to have their stay at hotels sponsored by ganglords and join in lavish parties. Some were reported to have attended underworld dons' kin's weddings and entertained them.
The letter of rogatory has specified the names of at least four stars. Two of them are female always thought to have been associated with Dawood gang. One, officials said, had ‘‘very intimate'' relations with the don and the other actress, a recent entrant in the political scene, was known to be associated with Dawood's brother, Anees Ibrahim.
One of the two actors whose details the CBI has asked for is a controversial personality who has joined a political party that has its base only in Uttar Pradesh. Other film personalities under CBI scanner include a few producers and a director who has made successful movies on underworld. The director first came under the Mumbai Police's scanner for talking to Chhota Shakeel on the phone.
Officials admitted the information they had sought would not help them in any ongoing investigation. ‘‘But we want to keep all these records as some of them are still in touch with the underworld,'' an official said.
The relation between the UAE and India has improved recently with authorities there helping Indian agencies get their hands on several gangsters staying in Dubai. The most recent example was Abdul Samad of Bhatkal, Karnataka, who was forced to fly back to India. He has been booked in a 2009 arms case.
