Mumbai: The city was inundated with rumours that the notorious 67-year-old don Dawood Ibrahim, who is holed up in Karachi, has been poisoned, and that he is in critical condition in a local hospital. There was even intense speculation that he was dead. The rumours gained credence with Pakistanis facing a serious outage of internet services. However, sources in Pakistan later revealed that the outage had nothing to do with the don. In fact, it was deliberately engineered by the Pakistani government to sabotage the proposed virtual "jalsa" organised by the 70-year-old Imran Khan's supporters to protest the fast-deepening economic crisis and the injustice being done to the ex-PM, who is being shifted from one jail to another. He is currently lodged in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
'Boss in good health,' says Chhota Shakeel
Dawood's most trusted aide, Chhota Shakeel, rubbished the rumors and claimed that his boss was in "good health." Sources in the Indian security establishment, who are keeping a close watch on Dawood, also did not confirm the rumours. Dawood, wanted by the Indian government, among other things, for his key role in masterminding the Mumbai serial bomb blasts of March 1993 and proclaimed a global terrorist by the United Nations and the US State Department, had fled to Dubai in the mid-80s, fearing that he would be killed in a fake encounter by the Mumbai police.
The rise of big 'bhai'
Son of a Mumbai constable, Dawood initially committed petty crime and later rose up to become a big "bhai" to replace Varadrajan Mudaliar as the real don of "akka Mumbai." In this, he was helped majorly by a late big-time politician of Maharashtra.
After relocating his base to Dubai, he was systematically cultivated by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan, which used him to execute the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. Afterward, they gave him shelter and incorporated him into their drug smuggling and terror activities.
Serious health issues mar Dawood
Dawood has been facing serious health issues of late, according to a source in Pakistan. His chain-smoking has affected his lungs, and his weakness for the bottle has taken a toll on his liver. He is suffering from acute diabetes. On January 4, 2023, the FPJ published an exclusive report disclosing the fact that his toe has been amputated to check the spread of gangrene. He has been in and out of army hospitals.
He is fiercely protected round-the-clock by elite commandos supplied by the ISI, which keeps shifting him from one safe house to another in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta to ensure that he is not targeted by local drug lords who detest him or Indian agents.
Dawood is not 'a piece of halwa': Shakeel
Dawood's security was beefed up recently following the targeted killing of several terrorists by unknown persons, whom Islamabad claims are agents of India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). However, Shakeel had earlier told this correspondent that Dawood was not "a piece of halwa" that the Indian government can eat easily. Dawood's birthday falls on December 26, and according to reports, it will be a rather low-key affair this year. In the past, the don used to organise big events attended by the who's who of the Pakistani defense establishment, senior politicians, and celebrities.
