Dawood is dead wood

India's most wanted is # 50 in forbes magazine's list of world's most powerful. J Dey explains why the Don shouldn't have made it

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar (53)
Head
D-Company
India
Age: 53
Rank on Forbes list" 50

Son of a police officer now India's most wanted man. The boss of Mumbai-based organised crime syndicate D-Company, reputedly oversees international drug trafficking, counterfeiting, weapons smuggling.

Suspected al-Qaeda associate; US declares him a global terrorist, UN tried to freeze his assets. Prime suspect in 1993 Bombay blasts that killed 257 people and wounded 713.

Rumour has it he's hiding out in Pakistan, protected by appearance-altering plastic surgery as well as friends in Pakistani intelligence community.

Forbes magazine's list of world's most powerful people

The US magazine well known for its lists world's billionaires, world's richest, most popular, most influential, celebrity 100 etc has published a list in its latest edition on the world's most powerful people.

Figuring 50th on the list, is India's most wanted man, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar.

The list, says Forbes, has been compiled primarily on three dimensions. First, do they have influence over lots of other people? Do they control relatively large financial resources compared to their peers? Are they powerful in multiple spheres?

MiD DAY investigates each of these dimensions to realise Forbes should have given Dawood a miss. Here's why.

Influence over lots of people?

Crime Branch investigations indicate that Dawood has almost slipped into hibernation. More important, he has been completely out of touch with his frontline shooters or the rank and file.

His only contact is with senior Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officers in Karachi and Rawalpindi.u00a0 The Baluchis and Pathans are opposed to Dawood and his associates, mainly because of his proximity to the ISI.

And then, D-gang members are unhappy that family has been holding key positions.

Even though Chhota Shakeel is his u00a0right hand man, it is Dawood's brother Mustaqueen who is being groomed to take charge as the don heads towards retirement.

The Dawood gang do have their men in places like Jogeshwari, Bandra, Dongri and Bhendi Bazaar, but their influence has been diminishing in recent years.

Control relatively large financial resources compared to their peers?

Dawood runs his empire under the protection of the ISI. In fact, ever since the 1993 Mumbai blasts when Dawood shifted base to Karachi, it is the ISI that has ensured his finances do not run dry. Dawood has an asset base of approximately Rs 10,000 crore.



But the geographical shift created a power vacuum in Mumbai. Consequently, his former lieutenant Chhota Rajan moved in and now holds sway over the northern suburbs of Mumbai, formerly a Dawood territory. He has an asset base of Rs 200 crore.

Are they powerful in u00a0multiple spheres?

Sources close to Dawood in Karachi told this newspaper that the ageing don spends most of his time at his indoor swimming pool.

He rarely entertains visitors. Chhota Shakeel is a regular visitor to the palatial bungalow in Friend's Colony in Central Karachi. In effect, yet again, geography dictates his ebb in power in multiple spheres.

Voices

I am shocked to hear of [Dawood in] the Forbes list of most powerful
D Sivanandan, u00a0u00a0Mumbai Commissioner of Police

Dawood is not as powerful as quoted by the magazine. He may be known for his negative power, which is generated through fear psychosis in the minds of people. But others like Obama, Clinton etc are powerful by their positive actions and the authority vested in them by the state. One simple bullet from the law enforcers will reduce him to zero.
Arvind Inamdar, u00a0Retired DGP, Maharashtra
u00a0
I feel Dawood may have influenced Forbes to u00a0feature him in the list. It is rubbish that the magazine features a fugitive gangster like Dawood amongst the world's powerful u00a0u00a0politicians and business tycoons.
Shankar Kamble, Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police

This is one of the most ridiculous piece of news I have come across. Dawood no longer influences people the way he did once upon a time. Sitting in India, I do not u00a0know his connection and influence in Pakistan and the Middle East. He is a fugitive gangster, who has been labelled as a global terrorist by the US and putting him in the same bracket as au00a0 Mittal [Laxmi], Ambani [Mukesh] and Tata [Ratan], is absurd.u00a0
A A Khan, u00a0u00a0Retired Additional Commissioner of Police

D-Power

Posted by VenuG | 11/12/09 on the Forbes website
Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar more powerful than Nicolas Sarkozy, Lakshmi Mittal, Ratan Tata, Robert Zoellick?? Whoever prepared this list shouldn't be working for Forbes.

Less Powerful

Dawood is Bogey Man because of icy image and brand name.

A senior police officer, under conditions of anonymity, confessed that therecould barely five cases in which Dawood Ibrahim could be tried in the courtof law.

Though he many be named in over 100 shootouts and killings in thepast decade.

There are cases where Dawood is not even remotely linked. Yet his name appears during prima facie investigations.

There cases cannot stand trials raising questions about his actual strenght in Mumbai,'' the officer pointed out.

There are other dons like Khalid Pehalwan, KK or Iqbal Mirchi and others who may be more powerful in terms of money.

Their names do not figure during investigations because they are not involved in killings.

Mexico's cocaine baron makes it to Forbes list of world's powerful

Joaquin Guzman, known as El Chapo or Shorty, took 41st place in the new ranking by Forbes magazine as one of the world's most powerful people, ahead of Presidents Medvedev and Sarkozy and Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.

Guzman is the alleged head of the Sinaloa drug cartel that has funnelled up to $19 billion worth of cocaine into the US through tunnels under the border fence.

He was arrested in Mexico on drug and murder charges in 1993 but managed to escape from prison in 2001.

The list also puts Osama bin Laden, head of al-Qaeda, in 37th place, calling him the most powerful person in the world unable to use a cellphone.

Despite infrequent communications, persistent rumours of his death, symbolic power undiminished: impressionable youths continue to self-detonate in his name; casus belli of two US-led wars costing over $1 trillion.

Bin Laden comes two places above the Dalai Lama.