Published 12th August 2014

Dawood Ibrahim kaskar, son of a police officer, is India's most wanted man. He is boss of Mumbai-based organized crime syndicate D-Company, reputedly international drug trafficking, counterfeiting, weapons smuggling. He is declared a global terrorist by the U.S.Dawood Ibrahim, the son of a police constable Ibrahim kaskar, was born in Mumka village in Ratnagiri in the Indian state of Maharashtra on December 26, 1955. He was brought up in Dongri, a poor of Central Bombay with a large but not exclusively Muslim population. Dawood Ibrahim is also known as Sheikh Dawood Hassan.                   
                     He was the head of the organized crime syndicate D. Company in Mumbai. He was on the wanted list of Interpol for organized crime and counterfeiting as well as No.4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals list of 2008.He was accused of heading a vast and sprawling illegal empire. After the 1993 Bombay bombings, which Ibrahim allegedly organized and financed, he became India's most wanted man. According to the United States, Ibrahim maintained close links with al-Qaida's Osama bin Laden. Hence, the United States declared Dawood Ibrahim a "global terrorist" In 2003 and pursued the matter before the United Nations in an attempt to freeze his assets around the world and crack down on his operations.The Bush administration imposed several sanctions on Ibrahim and his associates. Indian and Russian intelligence agencies pointed out Ibrahi's possible involvement in several other terror attacks, including the November 2008 Mumbai attacks. Pakistan denied any knowledge of his existence, Indian intelligence agencies, such as Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) belived that one of his addresses included White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan as per Interpol, and is provided protection, by Pakistan intelligence agencies, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
             The past few years have seen a dramatic decline in Dawood's fortunes from the heady heights of the life depicted in "Portrait of a Don". One of the main reasons that contributed to his called decline is the assassination of Shared Shetty, Dawood's financier and long term confident, carried out by Dawood's long time rival Chotta Rajan. News media outlets reported the murder as a sign of a dramatic shift of power between the crime lords. The loss of Shetty was the followed by the declaration by the United States Treasury Department declaring Ibrahim a global terrorist because of his links with Osama bin laden. Ibrahim then lost one of his closest aides, Pakistani Underworld Don Shoaib Khan in 2005.                     Washington added that they will request the United Nations to list Ibrahim "in pursuance of relevant Security Council resolutions". The UN listing would require all UN member states to freeze Ibrahim's assets and impose a travel ban. Ibrahim is also suspected to have connections with terrorist organizations , and in 2002 was linked to the financing of increasing attacks in Gujarat by Lashkar-e-Toiba. New Delhi handed over to Islamabad a list of 38 most wanted criminals, including Ibrahim.
               In January 2002, a month after the parliament attack, Indian officials had meetings with Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice in the U.S.A list of the Top 20 most-wanted terrorists in Pakistan was handled to the US. Ibrahim was wanted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
                 Ajmal Amir Kasab, a guman arrested for participation in the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 173 inclusive of 164 civilians and security personnel and 9 terrorists, confessed to authorities according to reports that Ibrahim's organization provided arms and explosives to the Lashkar-e-toiba group that were used to carry out the attacks. Another major blow was given to Ibrahim by the arrest of ten members of his gang by Mumbai Crime Branch on November 21, 2006. They were extradited from the United Arab Emirates, from reported in India Today that Dawood Ibrahim provided the logistics for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.In June 2009, his brother and close associate Anees Ibrahim was shot dead In June.Mohammed Iqbal Natiq, then 35 years old, is the rare overnight success story of a self -made Bombay journalist. He edited and published an Urdu weekly called Raazdaar(The Confidante)…

After working as a freelance journalist and columnist in established papers, Natiq launched his own paper from Dongri in 1969 at the age of 26…

In two years, Natiq managed to turn around his life, going from struggling journalist to successful newspaper owner and editor. From owning his own press to driving a spanking new white Ambassador, Natiq began to rise, rubbing shoulders with the elite.

One man who openly admired him and proudly proclaimed his friendship with him was Dawood [Ibrahim]. “Bande mein dum hain (this guy has some substance),” he used to tell his friends. Both Natiq and Dawood hailed from Ratnagiri, but more resilient a bond than their common native place was the intrinsic chutzpah they both had…

Natiq was a frequent visitor in the darbar of Likha, in keeping with the long time motto of crime reporters; to be where the action is. On this visit, he took one look at Likha and saw all was not well...

A few mandatory pleasantries later, Iqbal asked “What’s the matter? You’ve been issued a transfer order or something?”

Likha replied with the ferocity of a man plagued by an issue, “Does anything different ever happen here? Either the Pathans trouble someone else, or they’re fighting amongst themselves. I’m so tired of them!”

Iqbal gave a lopsided smile and reclined in his chair. His expression spoke more about his take on the issue than his tongue chose to. Almost like a quip, he said, “Sahab,Sholay.”

“Sholay?! Have you lost your mind, Iqbal?” Likha replied, more confused than ever.

Iqbal’s smile morphed from humorous to mysterious. “You use iron to combat iron,” he said.

The famous line that the handicapped Thakur Baldev Singh of Sholay had told the cop in the film had become so famous that whenever repeated, it conveyed its meaning in its perfect sense.

Understanding dawned. Sceptically, he asked, “But who will deal with the Pathans?”

Iqbal spoke with authority, “There is a boy, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar.”

Likha recoiled at the name “You mean Ibrahim’s son? No way!”… Iqbal nodded and rose to leave. As a parting shot to the already reeling Likha, he said, “Everybody in the locality knows that the boy is courageous.”…

Days passed and Likha remained gloomy over the deterioration of the law and order situation in his jurisdiction. Then, one day a small encounter scripted the destiny of both the cops and the crime bosses.

It had been a idyllic morning thus far, unmarred by anything unpleasant. As Likha was on a routine patrol, his jeep turned from Khada Parsi junction towards JJ Hospital. Soon he realised he was stuck in a massive traffic jam… Furious, he jumped out and charged towards the source of the jam... What Likha saw made him speechless.

A Pathan was bleeding profusely from his head and mouth and a youth, his shirt torn, was hitting him left, right and centre. “Now I have to break up these measly fights too,” he thought at first, resigned. But then he saw the boy; barely 20 years old, short in stature, and beating up a taller, stouter Pathan. The sight amazed him... Curious, he pulled the boy away by the scruff of his shirt and asked, “Hey, what’s your name?”

The boy stared right back into his eyes and replied, “Dawood. Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. I’m the son of a cop!”

Senior police inspector Ranbeer Likha froze. One word rang in his ears like a prophecy. “Sholay!” An idea took root in his mind.

Swiftly, he pulled him out of the crowd and shooed bystanders away… He could not think of anything other than the brilliant idea that had been planted in his head by Natiq… Trying to collect himself, he asked Dawood, “Let’s go sit in the car”.

Dawood eyed him quizzically and sat in the jeep quietly, but with an air of composure far beyond his years, calling another lad nearby and telling him, “Inform them at home that I’ll be a little late today.”

“You like to fight with Pathans?” Likha asked, sitting next to him.

“It’s not that I like to; if we don’t fight, we’ll perish,” Dawood tried to explain.

“Why don’t you do something that makes your fight with the Pathans aid us as well?” Likha asked, tentatively… “Defeat the Pathans for me and I will handle the rest.”

It was then that the balance of power shifted in Dawood’s mind; the baton passed from Likha to Dawood. Instead of being Likha’s main man, Likha would now be his main man. Such was the thinking of Dawood. So the foundation of a new rule was laid, and at last, a don was officially born.