NEW DELHI: A copy-paste job by Home Ministry babus on fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim left the government red-faced on Tuesday, when MoS for Home Affairs Haribhai Chaudhary informed Parliament that the most-wanted terrorist’s whereabouts are not known. With the reply to a question by MP Nityanand Rai, the government not only shot itself in the foot, it also embarrassed Central intelligence agencies that gave specific details of Dawood’s house in Pakistan as well as details of passports used by him and his close associates over the last two decades.
Haribhai Chaudhary told the Lok Sabha that the “United Nations Security Council has also issued a Special Notice against him (Dawood Ibrahim). The Subject has not been located so far. Extradition process with regard to Dawood Ibrahim would be initiated once the Subject is located.”
The reply came as shocker for the government, since Home Minister Rajnath Singh had in August last year told Parliament that his government was making all efforts to arrest Dawood, who is believed to be hiding in Pakistan. In December 2014, Rajnath reiterated that India has asked Pakistan to hand over Dawood and action will be taken soon. Western intelligence agencies had also shared Dawood’s chatter with his Indian contacts which established his location in Pakistan. Junior Home Minister Kiren Rijiju had said, citing the Western intelligence input last year, that “evidence of Dawood residing in Pakistan was always there”.
Interestingly, on June 1, 2013, the Delhi Police Special Cell, which comes under the Home Ministry, intercepted Pakistani mobile number +92XXXXXX4488 which belonged to Dawood. The Delhi Police IPL spot-fixing chargesheet listed the number under the name of Dawood Ibrahim and his close aide Chhota Shakeel. According to an intelligence dossier handed over to Pakistan in 2012, he has three houses in Islamabad and Karachi.