Fugitive mafia don Dawood Ibrahim is not in Pakistan at all, rival don Chhota Rajan claimed on Wednesday. Dawood’s best ally-turned-arch-enemy Rajendra Nikhalje, alias Chhota Rajan, said in an exclusive interview to this newspaper that although he knew exactly where Dawood was, the Indian intelligence agencies are incapable of flushing Dawood out of his hideout.
“I know Dawood’s hideouts, but our agencies cannot trace him. Why? In our country, there are many politicians and police officers who are still in touch with Dawood. I cannot disclose everything at this moment, but soon many things will become clear,” the don from Chembur said on the telephone from an undisclosed location in Southeast Asia to where he had recently relocated from New Zealand.
“Dawood Karachi mein hai hi nahin, apni agency (Indian agencies) ko kuch pata hi nahin hai (Dawood is not in Karachi at all, our agencies don’t know anything),” Chhota Rajan said. According to the don, who has been on Dawood’s trail for nearly two decades, Dawood frequently visits West Asian countries under security cover provided by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.
Rajan had called up The Asian Age office following the story published on Wednesday that Chhota Shakeel was hiding in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Regions. He claimed that he wanted to share further information about Dawood.
“Wherever he goes, Dawood is provided full security cover by the ISI. Even in the Middle East, which he keeps visiting, he is under the ISI’s protection. He keeps moving around the world, but our agencies cannot trace him,” he said.
Rajan also spoke about ISI chief Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha’s relationship with Dawood. “Pasha helps Dawood with regard to every single thing. It is with Pasha’s help that Dawood has been carrying out several rackets, like the fake Indian currency racket,” he added. Don Rajan also claimed that Dawood used to send money to banned terror outfit SIMI. “Mere ko koi agency ka support nahin hai (I don’t have any support from any agency)... My people are on the run even in India,” Chhota Rajan said.
He claimed that had given his nod to last week’s firing in Mumbai’s Pakmodia Street in which Dawood’s brother Iqbal Kaskar’s driver-cum-bodyguard Arif was killed because Arif was apparently in touch with Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) members.
Disclosing Arif’s relation with one Azgar, who is known to have LeT connections, Rajan said, “Azgar has a farmhouse in Ratnagiri. Arif used to provide him funds. Saale sab deshdrohi hain (They’re all traitors).” Arif was Dawood’s driver when the don was in Karachi five years ago, Rajan added.
However, Rajan also claimed that Iqbal Kaskar had not been his target. “Had I targeted Iqbal, he would have been dead by now. I know that Iqbal is now hatching a plan along with Santosh Shetty to kill me. But it won’t take me any time to finish him,” Chhota Rajan said.