Fit and fine: Dawood Ibrahim. Under interrogation in police custody, Iqbal Ibrahim Kaskar has categorically stated that his brother and fugitive mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is very much in Pakistan and in good health.
Despite reports in India that Dawood is very ill and crippled due to multiple ailments, Iqbal has claimed that his brother is in fact “very fit and fine” and even keeps moving around in cities in like Karachi, Lahore or Rawalpindi, under tight security, Iqbal told investigating officials.
Iqbal was arrested early on Tuesday by a crack team of Thane Anti-Extortion Cell headed by former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma who had picked him up from his Mumbai home late on Monday night in an extortion case.
Besides Dawood – who has links with Latin American drug mafia, his brother Anees Ibrahim Kaskar and a close aide Chhota Shakeel also live in a posh locality in Karachi, Iqbal told interrogators.
Significantly, the revelation came on a day when Indian diplomat Eenam Gambhir termed Pakistan as “terroristan” at the United Nations General Assembly for its support to terrorism.
In another shocking disclosure, Iqbal said that his sister-in-law, Mehjabin Shaikh (Dawood’s wife) visited Mumbai sometime in 2016 to meet her father, Salim Kashmiri, before quietly departing.
It is not clear how she gained entry or under what identity she managed to travel to India and returned without detection by multiple agencies.
Sharma told media persons that the statements made by Iqbal, including whether an extortion racket is run in his name, shall be independently verified before arriving at any conclusion.
Iqbal claimed that Dawood has not called up his family in India since the past couple of years fearing his calls may be tapped by various agencies, but Anees usually speaks with the family on festivals like Eid.
During the grilling sessions, Iqbal also provided the location addresses of four residences belonging to Dawood in Karachi and other information about the family.
He admitted that his brother Anees had called him from some international numbers, but denied that his brothers had involvement in the extortion racket for which he (Iqbal) has been arrested.
Deported from the United Arab Emirates in 2003, Iqbal was arrested after he allegedly threatened a builder in Thane using Dawood’s name and demanded four flats and Rs 30 lakh cash.
Late on Monday, when Sharma’s team reached his south Mumbai home, Iqbal was busy watching the “Kaun Banega Crorepati” show and eating biryani.
He sought permission to finish his biryani, which Sharma allowed and even advised him to take his medicines if required before whisking him off to Thane.