In a sensational development, which has sent tremors among the rank and file of the underworld, the Dubai police on Monday detained some 15 gangsters wanted by the Indian government.

The list includes underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brothers Noorul Haq alias Noora, Mustaqim and Iqbal.

The others are 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts accused Mohammad Dossa, Mustafa Majnun Dossa, Ejaz Pathan, Chhota Shakeel's top aides Salim Talwar and Tariq Parveen, and alleged 'king of the fake currency racket' Aftab Batki.

When contacted police commissioner R S Sharma refused to confirm the news saying, "We have not yet received any official intimation."

However, some Mumbai police officers speaking on the condition of anonymity confirmed the detention but could not explain the immediate reason for this step.

"It is possible that the authorities took this step fearing an outbreak of hostilities following Sharad Shetty's killing in January by suspected Chhota Rajan men."

"The world famous Dubai Shopping Festival is on and the government cannot afford any more blood letting on the streets of Dubai," one senior crime branch officer said.

The increasing mafia activities in the UAE might have also compelled the Dubai police to act against suspected gangsters.

However, Central Bureau of Investigation officers have a different version. They claim that the suspects in Shetty's murder may have named these people as those on their hit list. In this context, the Dubai police may have detained these people to ascertain their antecedents.

It is also learnt that the police searched the houses and other accommodations in Dubai of those detained and is also going through the red corner notices issued in their names.

The CBI has almost ruled out the probability of their deportation or extradition.

According to the law in Dubai, no suspect can be detained beyond a maximum period of 48 hours. So far, there is nothing to indicate that the 15 who have been detained will not be released in the next two days.

Earlier, the Dubai police had let off Dawood's brother Anees Ibrahim twice on flimsy grounds.

Among those detained, Mohammad Dossa is a gold smuggler and along with his brother, Mustafa Majnun Dossa, is one of the 33 absconding accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

The CBI has issued a red corner alert notice against them.

Dossa had started off as a smalltime gold smuggler and ran a video cassettes shop in Manish Market (in Mumbai) as a legitimate front for his illegal activities.

Beginning in the early eighties, by the end of the decade Dossa had established a strong network of contacts in the customs department, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and in the police.

In the beginning of the nineties, the Dossa brothers were listed among the top gold smugglers in the city.

They are believed to have helped smuggle arms and ammunitions meant for the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

According to the CBI charge sheet, Dossa arranged for the landing of a consignment of RDX and AK-47 guns on January 16, 1993, a part of which was also sent to Porbander in Gujarat.

The CBI is yet to recover the entire consignment of RDX and guns.

In the subsequent manhunt, law enforcement agencies managed to arrest Dossa's top aides, Mohammed Kasam Jalpuria alias Mechanic Chacha and Salim Kutta, but Dossa remained elusive.