by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Sensing trouble ahead, the mafia don Dawood has stopped travelling out of Pakistan for the past several months. Dawood also appeared resigned to staying holed up in his heavily guarded house at Clifton Park in Karachi after his close shave a few years ago.
Dawood had been travelling to Central Asian Republics, certain European nations and the United Kingdom on various fake passports, say these sources and his empire runs into hundreds of crores. He has reportedly invested his wealth in real estate in India, Pakistan and Dubai, owns cotton mills in Pakistan, invested in stock markets in Karachi and Mumbai using subsidiary firms, oil wells in West Asia and Central Asian Republics and even in production of tobacco and tobacco-related products which are sold in Russia, say some published reports.
￭ A star witness against Dawood Ibrahim too
|
LT EXCLUSIVE
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Nov. 4 |
"The State does nothing without a reason," this is how a top government official connected with the security and intelligence agencies" apparatus summed up the reason behind the speed with which underworld don Chhota Rajan was allowed to flee Australia and nabbed in Indonesia and being deported now to India.
It is too well known for several years that Chhota Rajan is under extreme threat from rival Chhota Shakeel, the henchman of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and finding it difficult to withstand the threat to his life. Rajan was unable to help the Indian agencies for against the operations of Dawood gang either. It is no secret that he has been suffering from serious kidney ailment and requires regular dialysis. It was also known to the agencies that he had been holding an Indian passport in the name of Mohan Kumar and living in Australia. So, why shall he be brought to India and the government spend hundreds of crores of rupees on giving him "super Z plus" category security and his upkeep.
Highly placed official involved in the operation of Chhota Rajan told Lokmat on the condition of anonymity that Chhota Rajan will be a star witness as and when Dawood Ibrahim is brought to India and put on trial. If there are 75 criminal cases against Chhota Rajan, the list of criminal cases against Dawood runs into hundreds. But there are no credible witnesses available either with the Mumbai Police or the CBI which can take him to the gallows.
It is a part of this strategy that not only Chhota Rajan but other key members of his gang are also being arrested and they will be put together in the Arthur Road Jail itself to provide immediate and proximate security cover to Chhota Rajan and also depose against Dawood.
Therefore, in a well-crafted strategy, the Government of India is putting together all the missing links before starting "Operation Dawood".
The Modi government doesn't want Dawood to be treated the way Abu Salem is forced to be treated. He can't be hanged and there are hardly any witnesses coming forward. The criminal justice system is finding it difficult to keep him behind bars indefinitely.
The Modi government would like Dawood not only be brought to India but to take the trial to its logical conclusions.
The Modi government has mounted tremendous global pressure to get Dawood back and even the US has promised India to provide all assistance in this regard. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been personally taking up the Dawood issue with heads of various countries in this regard. National security adviser Ajit Doval's mission is to get him alive in India.
Sensing trouble ahead, the mafia don Dawood has stopped travelling out of Pakistan for the past several months. Dawood also appeared resigned to staying holed up in his heavily guarded house at Clifton Park in Karachi after his close shave a few years ago.
Dawood had been travelling to Central Asian Republics, certain European nations and the United Kingdom on various fake passports, say these sources and his empire runs into hundreds of crores. He has reportedly invested his wealth in real estate in India, Pakistan and Dubai, owns cotton mills in Pakistan, invested in stock markets in Karachi and Mumbai using subsidiary firms, oil wells in West Asia and Central Asian Republics and even in production of tobacco and tobacco-related products which are sold in Russia, say some published reports.
