Another report has put to rest the rumours about Dawood Ibrahim’s death. After two days of speculation and hear-say, News18 has confirmed that the gangster is a alive and well after an exclusive conversation with his close aide Chhota Shakeel.
“Dawood is alive and healthy. Even I was shocked to see this fake news. I met him multiple times yesterday,” the gangster told News18. On Monday (19th December), a relative of Dawood confirmed to Republic TV that he was not dead.
Responding to the report that were claiming that Dawood was poisoned, the relative while speaking to Republic TV claimed that it was not true. “The news of poisoning is incorrect. Also, we are unaware of his whereabout,” the relative said.
How did the rumours spread?
Rumours began to spread on Sunday (17th December) claiming that Dawood Ibrahim was poisoned by an unknown person and was rushed to hospital. Some reports claimed that he was dead. This was after Pakistan witnessed a nationwide internet shutdown.
Amid the rumours, an alleged screenshot of caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar, went viral on social media with claims that the said post confirmed the death of Ibrahim.
The post read, “The Messiah of humanity, dear to every Pakistani heart, our beloved His Excellency Dawood Ibrahim passed away due to poisoned by unknown. He breathed his last in a hospital in Karachi. May Allah grant him the highest position in Jannat. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.”
However, when OpIndia investigated the screenshot and the official handle of the Pakistani PM, we found that there was no such tweet. Furthermore, the handle used in the screenshot was anwaar_kakkar, while the real ID of the Pakistani PM is anwaar_kakar.
Pakistani media and journalists also fuelled the rumours.
Dawood Ibrahim is one of the most notorious and dreaded gangsters/terrorists wanted by India. A criminal mobster and drug dealer from Mumbai’s Ratnagiri, it is believed that Dawood Ibrahim now resides in Karachi, Pakistan.
He was designated as a global terrorist in 2003 by India and the United States, with a reward of US$25 million for his capture for his role in the 1993 Bombay bombings.
In 2011, the FBI and Forbes named him number three on The World’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives. While Dawood’s death rumours are all over social media, it has to be noted that such rumours find their place on social media platforms once or twice every year.
It is a fact that Dawood Ibrahim is hiding in Pakistan, and the hostile neighbour categorically refuses to accept his presence in the country.
Similar rumours in the past
In 2020, there were reports that Dawood Ibrahim and his wife contracted Coronavirus. It was one of the “silver lining” reports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, it was reported that he died of the infection. However, the reports were proven wrong, and Dawood lived.
In 2017, there were reports that Dawood died of a heart attack. Some reports suggested he had a brain tumour that led to his worsening health. However, the reports later proved to be fake.
In 2016, there was another rumour on social media and mainstream media that Dawood got gangrene on his legs, and doctors might have had to amputate them. The same was contested by Chota Shakeel, who said, “Your agencies have the wrong information. Dawood is perfectly fit.”
