The British government has turned down India’s request for the extradition of Tiger Hanif

London: The British government has turned down India’s request for the extradition of Tiger Hanif, an alleged aide of Dawood Ibrahim wanted in India in connection with two bomb blasts in Surat in 1993, the UK Home Office has confirmed.

Hanif, whose full name is Mohammed Hanif Umerji Patel, was traced to a grocery store in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant in February 2010.

The 57-year-old since lost a number of legal bids to stay in Britain, claiming that he will be tortured in India.

However, his final bid to then Home Secretary Sajid Javid succeeded as the Pakistani-origin minister refused the request last year.

We can confirm that the extradition request for Hanif Patel was refused by the then Home Secretary and Mr Patel was discharged by the court in August 2019, a UK Home Office source said on Sunday.

Hanif’s extradition to India was first ordered by then Home Secretary Theresa May in June 2012. During an appeal at the High Court in London in April 2013, Justice Kenneth Parker noted the information provided in India’s request described how, following the Babri Masjid demolition in December 1992, internecine hostilities broke out between the Muslim and Hindu communities in Gujarat.

Under the India-UK Extradition Treaty, India is category two country, which means the Home Secretary has final sign-off on any extradition request, which in this case was turned down.