MUMBAI : Days after wanted gangster Dawood Ibrahim's sister Haseena Parkar was granted bail by a city court, a special court has acquitted his brother Iqbal Kaskar and four civic officials in a case under the Maharashtra Control Of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Of the nine persons who faced trial, the court sentenced three to jail terms of five-seven years.

Iqbal Kaskar, who, along with Tariq Parveen, was deported from Dubai in 2003, was accused of conniving with the Brihanmumbai Corporation officials and participating in unlawful construction of shops on land reserved for the Central Public Works Department in Crawford Market in south Mumbai.

Special judge Mridula Bhatkar held Tariq Parveen, Abdul Rehman Abdul Gafoor Sheikh alias Rehman Boss and Abdul Sattar Haji Jinabhai Radhanpura alias Sattar Teli guilty, under the MCOCA and the Indian Penal Code, of extortion and criminal conspiracy. Rehman was sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 14,05,000. Radhanpura and Parveen were sentenced to five-year RI and a fine of Rs. 10,05,000. Dawood Ibrahim and his associate Chota Shakeel are also wanted in this case.

Acquitting builder Ghulam Nabi Ramzan Tanwar and BMC officials Narendra Rajbhar, Hasmukh Shah, Kiran Achrekar and Shirish Salvekar, besides Iqbal Kaskar, the court said the information in the transcripts submitted by the prosecution as evidence was not sufficient. It had submitted 56 tapes and examined 104 witnesses during the trial.

Chief Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian said she would recommend, after studying the judgment, going in appeal against the acquittal.

Defence lawyer Jagdish Shetty said the court did not accept the transcripts and the confession of a co-accused as evidence against Kaskar.

After the ruling, Kaskar was heard blaming Dawood Ibrahim for his ``hardships.''

The case started with a complaint from Nafisa, who alleged that Kaskar and others resorted to forcible evictions for constructing of twin shopping malls. He said they had constructed over 300 shops and 70 storage rooms on the land reserved for a municipal school and a garage.

The trial started last year after charges were framed in March 2006. The Bombay High Court directed the special court to conclude the trial by June 11, 2007.

The case against Salvekar that he made pecuniary gains has been transferred to the anti-corruption department. The CPWD will have to file a civil suit in a city court to get back its land.

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