The crime branch of the Mumbai police recently arrested the son of an associate of Dawood Ibrahim [Images] in connection with a car smuggling case.

The police arrested Anis Yakub, 26, on December 28 and seized his two-seater Nissan.

The car had been smuggled from Dubai and had a fake number plate.

Yakub was later released on bail.

"These people steal such costly cars from Japan [Images] or South Africa and bring them to Dubai," Senior Inspector Vijay Salaskar said. "There they change the chassis numbers and send them to Mumbai."

Yakub allegedly managed to get bogus paper for the car in Dubai and brought it to Mumbai in the name of Mohammed Miya of Kerela.

Yakub told the police that he was importing such cars from Dubai- based suppler Jabbar.

Sometime back Yakub was arrested in a murder case. He was out on bail.

Salaskar said, "Maybe Jabbar, Anis and Yeda Yakub have some links and earn money through car smuggling."

Yeda Yakub stays with Dawood in Karachi, Pakistan, and he is absconding accused in the serial bomb blasts case of 1993.