Dawood – A Discussion
Dawood Ibrahim has recently been in the news again. There are reports that he was poisoned by an unknown person and is currently admitted on a specific floor of the Ziauddin Hospital in Karachi, where he is the only patient on the third floor. Unfortunately, there are often many misconceptions about Dawood Ibrahim in our media. In today’s video, we will try to understand some of these misconceptions and insider stories.
Javed Miandad’s son Junaid, a Pakistani cricketer who studied in London, met Dawood’s daughter Mahrukh there. They decided to get married in 2005, and Dawood Ibrahim, with the help of ISI of Pakistan, attempted to organize the wedding. Initially a small-time criminal in Mumbai, Dawood eventually became the city’s don. His right-hand man was Chhota Rajan, originally from Maharashtra’s Satara region. There were no Hindu-Muslim differences in Dawood’s gang until the 1993 Mumbai blasts. After the blasts, Chhota Rajan opposed Dawood for targeting Hindus, leading to a split in the gang. Both gangs were involved in similar illegal activities, including smuggling and drug trafficking, leading to competition and violence between them.
In 2005, Dawood planned to marry his daughter Mahrukh to Junaid. The media misconstrues that the wedding took place in Dubai, but it actually occurred on July 9, 2005, in a mosque in Mecca. Dawood, under the fake passport name Ali Miya, attended the wedding. He had booked the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai for a lavish reception on July 23, 2005. The Indian media often incorrectly reports that Dawood wanted to attend the wedding in Dubai, which was not the case.
The split between Dawood and Chhota Rajan in 1993 led to separate gangs. The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) of India observed their differences and exploited them by supporting one gang against the other. This is a common strategy in tackling organized crime. The Mumbai underworld history shows that the Mumbai Police often supported one gang to eliminate another. In fact, Mumbai Police played a role in Dawood’s rise. A senior police inspector once encountered a young Dawood violently attacking a gangster and recruited him for police operations.
Dawood’s addresses in Pakistan, as confirmed by R&AW, include several locations in Karachi. He typically resides at the White House near Mehran Square, Clifton, Karachi. His lifestyle involves waking up at 2 PM, followed by swimming and light gym activities, and then overseeing his operations in India, internal situations in Pakistan, activities in the Middle East, and businesses in Southeast Asia. Dawood has a significant influence in gold smuggling, prominent real estate investments in Karachi and Islamabad, and connections with the ISI, Pakistan Army, and Pakistan Cricket Board.
Dawood acquired Commonwealth of Dominica citizenship during the COVID-19 pandemic but mostly resides in Karachi. Despite speculation about his health and whereabouts, the reality of his situation remains unclear, as neither India officially claims nor Pakistan admits his presence in their territory. The video aims to clarify the basic thought process and criminal syndicate of Dawood Ibrahim.