Thursday, September 2, 2010

When Forbes magazine publis-hed its list of the world’s most powerful people this week, there were some predictable faces.

President Obama, of course, came in at number one.

Bill Clinton was at 31, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at 43, Oprah Winfrey at 45. And then, wedged in between the chief justice of the US Supreme Court and the editor of the New York Times, at number 50 comes former Dubai resident, Ibrahim Dawood Kaskar.

For a gangster of his inflated ego, placement among the very top of global society must be an enor-mous pleasure.

As the head of the sprawling ‘D-Company’ empire, Dawood is simply the world’s biggest criminal, a man capable of running a colossal global crime network from his Al Wasl Road mansion before a coordinated effort by international law enforcement forced him to flee.

He and his deputies lived a luxur-ious life in Dubai for decades, with Dawood seen smoking cigars from the back of his white Rolls Royce while driving to entertain Bolly-wood stars at his Jumeirah mansion, according to Indian reporter Baljeet Parmar, who has followed Dawood’s career for decades.

The Al Wasl Road house, known as ‘The White House’ is listed on US Treasury Department documents that list sanctions against Dawood for offences that include terrorism on behalf of Islamic extremists, kidnapping and just about every type of crime imaginable, from plutonium selling to global heroin networks and extortion rackets.

A book by author Gilbert King, dubbed Ibrahim as ‘The Most Dangerous Man In The World’.

In 2006, Dubai police launched a major assault against his operat-ions, arresting 15 members of D-Company and extraditing ten of them to Dawood’s native India.

Dawood, who carries a UAE pass-port, eventually left the Emirates but leaves behind many family members and business partners.

The son of an Indian policeman, his ruthlessness brought him and some of his family to the very top of the Indian criminal world.

When the ferocious criminal infighting he unleashed became too dangerous, he moved his giant global operations to Dubai in 1985.

Known for his love of cricket, he was frequently seen at games in Sharjah and entertained some of the biggest players in the game.

In 2005, major celebrities from Bolly-wood, Indian politics and inter-national cricket turned up at a Dubai hotel for the wedding of his daughter Mahrukh Dawood to Junaid Miandad, the son of Javed Miandad, the Pakistani cricketer.

One 7DAYS photographer who was positioned outside had previously seen Dawood at cricket games.

“It was a huge wedding, very, very expensive,” he recalls. “But the guests weren’t exactly posing outside to have their picture taken.”

The wedding provided valuable information for the Dubai and Indian police. It was the first time that they noted the connection between Dawood and Dubai-based money laundering kingpin, Naresh Jain Kumar, who fled the Emirates four months ago amid a major crackdown on his operations.

Deira-based Jain was washing $4 million a day in drug proceeds, according to Italian police, much of it through Dubai import companies.

In the last month, the Dubai police criminal investigation unit swung another blow at Dawood with the arrest of crime figure Bannanje Raja, caught last month as he tried to leave the UAE on a false passport.

Police confirmed this week that prosecutors were organising his extradition to India, where he is wanted for running Bangalore blackmail and prostitution rackets.

Several other former Dubai-based Dawood associates have been arrested in India in recent weeks, including Arif Mirza Beg, a former resident of Dubai and Sharjah. Beg is now facing 16 charges that range from extradition and murder.

Much of Dawood’s own family are still based in Dubai, but all plead that they have never been involved in crime. One Dubai-based brother, 45-year-old Iqbal Kaskar, has found solace in religion.

While Ibrahim was quick to use the gun to solve disputes, Iqbal was in a Mumbai court yesterday, urging passport authorities to allow him to go on the Hajj to Mecca. His request was refused. Indian authorities had taken the unusual step of limiting his travel to between the UAE and India because of his family’s record.

In 2003, Iqbal was extradited from Dubai to India but was acquitted in 2007 of construction bribery and returned to the Emirates. He is, to date, the only Dawood sibling ever to face trial.

Dawood’s Legacy
1993 Mumbai Bombings: A terrorism court found that Dawood’s gang detonated13 bombs in Mumbai in March 1993, killing 250 people.

Dawood personally organised and financed the killing of innocent civilians, according to prosecutors, in revenge for sectarian attacks on Muslims.

Mumbai 2008 Attacks: Indian and Russian intelligence said he helped to coordinate the attacks with Pakistan militants. India accuses Pakistan of harbouring Dawood in Karachi.

Al Qaeda Coordinator: The US Treasury Department has imposed global sanctions on Dawood for his Al Qaeda links and role in coordinating global terrorist networks and lists his Al Wasl home as his main residence.

Heroin: Intelligence Agencies around the world say Dawood has a massive role in the heroin trade. Under Taliban supervision, Afghan opium makes its way to Karachi for processing and distribution around the world.

Prostitution: Major Dawood associate Bannanje Raja is to be extradited from Dubai to face prostitution and racketeering charges in Bangalore. Dawood’s well-established links with the Russian underworld has opened up new prostitution rackets in the Middle East.

Extortion: There is barely any segment of the Indian economy that Dawood’s men haven’t tried to siphon. He started in the textile industry and made a fortune from “taxes” on Mumbai construction companies.

sean.odriscoll@7days.ae