MUMBAI: The Mumbai Police recently withdrew protection extended to nine builders who allegedly faced threats from the underworld, including a Bandra-based builder and member of Waqf board, saying most of the dreaded gangsters were lodged in jails. Police said security cover of celebrities, including film stars and VIPs, too would be reviewed as part of their annual assessment and security provided to them would be downgraded.Joint commissioner of police (crime) Santosh Rastogi said, “The crime branch has made an assessment and removed security given to nine people.” He said dreaded gangsters were in jail and it was not possible for them to issue threats over cellphone. Police said with CCTV cameras and high-density jammers now inside jails, it was almost impossible for an undertrial to use cellphones from inside the jail.With gangster Ravi Pujari arrested in Senegal, and Bunty Pandey and Chhota Rajan arrested and lodged in Tihar jail, police officials said there were hardly any threats from the underworld in the city.A fortnight after Mumbai Police arrested gangster Ejaz Lakdawala (50) from Bihar, they withdrew security cover given to Khalid Babu Qureshi, a Bandra-based developer and BJP functionary and member of the Maharashtra waqf board. Crime branch officials said Khalid was not alone, they had withdrawn security of others too who were apparently on Lakdawala’s hit-list.It was Khalid’s complaint in November last year against Lakdawala that led the police to locate the gangster in Bihar. Lakdawala was picked up after his daughter Shifa alias Sonia Shaikh was arrested while trying to leave the country on a fake passport. Lakdawala, a gangster earlier close to Dawood as well as Chhota Rajan, had ben shuttling between Nepal and India via Bihar.“Initially, when I lodged the complaint in November, I had mentioned that Lakdawala had threatened me and demanded Rs 50 lakh. Later in December, police requested me to include Shifa’s (Lakdawala’s daughter’s) name in my statement and I did. I was scared, but police assured me they were with me. Now I am a little uncomfortable as gangsters in the past have been active from jails,” Khalid told TOI. A crime branch official said during assessment, they found the Lakdawala gang was defunct and if there is any threat, they would provide security cover accordingly.