Dawood wanted to return but Indian government rejected conditions: Lawyer
Wanted gangster Dawood Ibrahim is "keen to return to India," but the government didn't accept any of his conditions, said well-known criminal lawyer Shyam Keswani, who is representing Dawood's brother Iqbal Kaskar in court. One of his conditions was that he would be lodged in Mumbai's high-security Arthur Road Jail. He had conveyed his intentions through former minister Ram Jethmalani years ago, Keswani added.
About Dawood Ibrahim, his crimes and his current suspected location
Dawood, prime accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was the founder of the organized crime syndicate notorious as D-Company. It included several top criminals including Chhota Shakeel, Tiger Memon, Yakub Memon and Abu Salem. In the late 1908s, he moved base to the UAE and then to Pakistan. India claims Dawood is still in Pakistan, though the latter has denied it.
Dawood a person of interest in several countries
In 2003, Dawood was designated a global terrorist by Interpol. In 2011, Forbes ranked him fourth among the world's 10 most wanted criminals. The UK and UAE have also initiated a crackdown on him, and his assets have been seized.
Earlier, Raj Thackeray had said Dawood wanted to return
Keswani's comments come over six months after MNS chief Raj Thackeray made similar claims. Thackeray had alleged Dawood was willing to return and was even negotiating a "settlement" with the government. He was very ill and wanted to spend his last days in India, he had claimed. But the government hadn't accepted his demands, Keswani said, and "till this day, Dawood hasn't been arrested."
Kaskar admits talking to Dawood, but claims doesn't know location
When asked if he knew the whereabouts of his family members, Kaskar said 'no' in court. He admitted he had talked to Dawood on mobile, but his number was never displayed and so he didn't know where he was, he claimed.
Kaskar now remanded in police custody till March 9
Kaskar, arrested last September along with two aides, has now been remanded in police custody till March 9. They are accused in several extortion cases, including one involving Rs. 30L and four flats, another related to a jewelry shop owner, and a third involving a plot at Gorai (Mumbai). Others wanted in the case, including Dawood's other brother Anees, are absconding.
