Dawood Ibrahim, the most wanted gangster and terrorist in India, has been the subject of various rumours of his death in the past few days. The rumours started circulating on social media in both India and Pakistan, after a Pakistani news channel reported that a former caretaker prime minister of Pakistan had confirmed Dawood’s death by poisoning.
However, the news channel later retracted the report and clarified that it was based on a fake tweet attributed to the former prime minister. The tweet claimed that Dawood had been poisoned by “unknown men” and had died in Karachi, where he is believed to be hiding under the protection of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI.
The rumours were further fuelled by the death of Dawood’s brother, Iqbal Kaskar, who was lodged in a Mumbai jail. Iqbal died of a heart attack on December 17, 2023, after complaining of chest pain. Some social media users speculated that Iqbal’s death was linked to Dawood’s alleged poisoning, and that the Indian government was behind the plot to eliminate the gangster.
However, Dawood’s close aide and associate, Chhota Shakeel, dismissed the rumours and claimed that Dawood was alive and well. He told a news agency that Dawood was not in Pakistan, but in an undisclosed location, and that he was in touch with him regularly. He also said that Iqbal’s death was natural and had nothing to do with Dawood.
Dawood Ibrahim is the chief of the D-Company, a notorious crime syndicate that operates in India and abroad. He is accused of masterminding the 1993 Bombay bombings, which killed 257 people and injured over 700. He is also wanted for various other crimes, such as murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and terrorism. He is designated as a global terrorist by India and the United States, with a reward of US$25 million on his head.
The Indian government has repeatedly demanded the extradition of Dawood from Pakistan, but the Pakistani government has denied his presence in the country. However, the United Nations Security Council has confirmed several addresses of Dawood in Pakistan, and has imposed sanctions on him and his associates. The Indian government has also seized and auctioned off several properties of Dawood in India, under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act.
The rumours of Dawood’s death have sparked a lot of curiosity and speculation in India, where he is seen as the most elusive and dangerous enemy of the state. However, until there is any official confirmation or evidence, the rumours remain unverified and unreliable.
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