In a major blow to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, ten members of his gang were arrested by Mumbai Crime Branch on Tuesday, after being deported from the UAE.

They were earlier in the custody of the Dubai police.

Some of them are wanted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts, allegedly masterminded by Dawood, a senior police official said.

Asked about reports that Aarif, married to gangster Chhota Shakeel's sister, was among those arrested, Mumbai Police Commissioner A N Roy evaded a direct reply, saying he would comment on the matter 'after some time'.

Earlier this month, Abdul Rashid Hussaini Putter, also of the Dawood gang, was deported from Dubai to facilitate a probe into his alleged involvement in a fake currency racket in the metropolis.