The unknown person claimed to be connected to the underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim (Archive)
Mumbai:
Security at the official residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, “Matoshree”, has been increased, following a phone call from an unidentified man who claimed to be calling from Dubai on behalf of the underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim.
The phone call, dismissed as a possible hoax by Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab, was made on Saturday night at around 10:30 pm, according to the PTI news agency.
“A call was received in Matoshree yesterday. The caller said: ‘I am connected to the Dawood gang and want to speak to the CM. But it was not a threatening call. The police will investigate if it is a hoax or what.” Mr Parab said Sunday night.
The PTI quoted an unidentified official from the Chief Minister’s residence as saying that the caller “hoax” dialed the “Matoshree” number twice and said that Dawood Ibrahim wanted to speak to Chief Minister Thackeray.
“However, the telephone operator did not transfer the call to the Chief Minister,” the official said, adding: “The caller did not reveal his identity, but only said that he was calling from Dubai on behalf of Dawood Ibrahim.”
Local police were informed about the calls, after which additional security was deployed outside Uddhav Thackeray’s bungalow, the official also said.
Police officers told PTI that they were also trying to verify the source of the calls; the caller had claimed to be calling from Dubai.
Dawood Ibrahim, who heads a vast and multifaceted empire of illegal businesses, emerged as India’s most wanted terrorist after the Mumbai attacks in 1993, in which 257 people died and 700 were injured.
In addition to the explosions in Mumbai, the 59-year-old is also charged with planning other terrorist attacks and faces multiple charges of money laundering and extortion. India and the United States also accuse Dawood of financing terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Last month, the Pakistani government, after years of denying it was protecting him, admitted that Dawood Ibrahim lives in Karachi. Admission was on a list of 88 banned terrorist groups revealed as part of their efforts to escape the threat of harsh financial penalties for aiding the terrorists.
According to Pakistani authorities, Dawood Ibrahim’s address is “White House, near the Saudi mosque, Clifton” in Karachi, Pakistan.
With input from PTI
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