Although Dawood Ibrahim escaped from India in 1986, his home and mine shared the same PIN code 400003, which was once dreaded as Bombay’s “number 3”. I stayed at Masjid Bunder while his house was in Pakmodia Street, around two kilometres away.
Even after Dawood became a fugitive, his parents continued to stay there until their death. After them, the two-room house on the second floor of a dilapidated chawl was used for charity work like sewing classes for poor women.
While growing up in Bombay 3, I was witness to crime and violence in the area at a very young age. I have seen gang wars between the gangs of Dawood and Pathans. In 1992-93, people were massacred right on the road outside my house in the communal frenzy after the Babri mosque razing. One of the 12 bombs that exploded across the city on 12 March 1993 blew up just 500 metres from my home. I think this exposure to violence germinated my interest in crime and led to my career as a crime journalist. During my two decades of journalism in Mumbai, I have extensively reported on organised crime syndicates in Mumbai and have filed several stories on Dawood Ibrahim’s gangs as well.
I am taking the news of Dawood Ibrahim’s death due to poisoning with a pinch of salt. In the last 20 years, Dawood has “died” or “has been killed” at least five times. The last time he “died” was in 2018. News spread that he had gone into a coma and had died in a hospital in Karachi.
Once again, reports that he died in a Karachi hospital after being poisoned are viral. I delved into the subject to find out what transpired.
The screenshot of an X handle, purportedly of Pakistan’s Acting Prime Minister, was circulated, which said: “His Excellency’ died in a Karachi hospital.”
I checked the X handle and found there was no such post. It was fake. Also, words like “His Excellency” for Dawood raised suspicion. Dawood never held any constitutional post in Pakistan that would make the nation’s acting PM refer to him as “His Excellency.”
Another development in Pakistan being used to add credence to the story is the internet shutdown. It is said that the shutdown is to prevent the dissemination of the news of Dawood’s death. However, some Pakistani platforms have reported that the shutdown was intended to sabotage the virtual conclave organised by Imran Khan’s party, the PTI.
Although there have indeed been many attempts to kill Dawood, none have succeeded so far. It is also true that Dawood is diabetic and suffers from lung-related ailments, but the speculation since last night has not been corroborated by concrete evidence.
The governments of India and Pakistan are not likely to make any official statements even if he is dead. Pakistan’s perennial stand has been to deny fervently that Dawood is even on its soil. Even if we assume that he was killed in a covert operation, an official statement is unlikely.
The only way to ascertain the veracity of the news is to expect a statement from Dawood’s family members or relatives. Pakistani cricketer Javed Miandad is one such person. His son Junaid married Dawood’s daughter Mahrukh in July 2005. Until Miandad confirms, take the news of Dawood’s death with a pinch of salt.