Britain freezes Dawood Ibrahim's properties worth $6.7 billion: UK lists his three Pakistan addresses

The British properties of India’s most wanted gangster, Dawood Ibrahim have been seized by the UK authorities, media reports said. [caption id=“attachment_4038561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Dawood Inrahim. CNN News18[/caption] A major chunk of the fugitive underworld don’s assets, worth a whopping $6.7 billion (more than Rs 42,000 crore), has been seized by the UK government, according to an India Today report. According to Mirror, the 1993 Mumbai blast accused appears on the latest UK Treasury department’s Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets, updated last month. Dawood, according to the article, is estimated to be world’s second most richest criminal after Pablo Escobar. Financial sanctions — imposed in any individual or government (known as the target) — in essence mean that the UK government can prohibit a firm from carrying out transactions or providing or performing other financial services, such as insurance, with them. The UK government can impose such sanctions on any individual, government or private entity, who may or may not be based out of Britain. It is a criminal offence to breach a financial sanction, without an appropriate licence or authorisation from the UK Treasury. The UK-based tabloid Birmingham Mail, has reported that Dawood owns a hotel in Warwickshire and other residential properties across the Midlands. In 2015, India had handed over a dossier to UK on Dawood and had argued to freeze his assets, Times Now reported. According to The Free Press Journal, the dossier contained over a dozen properties — houses, flats and hotels — spread across London and its outskirts that are allegedly owned by Dawood through his known associates. The same year, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials had also visited the Midlands to identify and seize the Mumbai serial blasts mastermind’s UK assets, CNN News18 reported. ED officers were also tracking other assets of Dawood such as a hotel in Dartford, Kent, another in Essex and several more in central London, according to Moneycontrol. The sanctioned document reportedly lists Dawood’s 21 aliases and three recorded addresses in Pakistan, as well.

The three recorded addresses of “Kaskar Dawood Ibrahim are - House No 37, 30th Street - Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan; - Noorabad, Karachi, Pakistan (Palatial bungalow in the hilly area); and - White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.

His aliases are: Abdul, Shaikh, Ismail; Abdul Aziz, Abdul Hamid; Abdul Rehman, Shaikh, Mohd, Ismail; Anis, Ibrahim, Shaikh, Mohd; Bhai, Bada; Bhai, Dawood; Bhai, Iqbal; Dilip, Aziz; Ebrahim, Dawood; Farooqi, Sheikh; Hasan, Kaskar, Dawood; Hassan, Dawood; Ibrahim, Anis; Ibrahim, Dowood, Hassan, Shaikh; Kaskar, Daud, Hasan, Shaikh, Ibrahim; Kaskar, Daud, Ibrahim, Memon; Kaskar, Dawood, Hasan, Ibrahim; Memon, Dawood, Ibrahim; Sabri, Dawood; Sahab, Haji; and Seth, Bada. In January 2017 , it was reported that United Arab Emirates’ government had seized wanted Dawood’s properties worth Rs 15,000 crore. However, the UAE government dismissed such reports, and denied having any information about the raids. Dawood is the main accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which around 260 people were killed, and more than 700 suffered injuries. He fled the country post the bombings and is understood to be hiding in Pakistan. Dawood’s place of birth is recorded as Kher, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, and his nationality is listed as “Indian” with a recorded Indian passport which was subsequently revoked by the Government of India. Dawood also possesses a string of Indian and Pakistani passports, he acquired illegally and misused to float aliases. Pakistan has repeatedly denied his presence in the country. However, according to DNA, a fortnight ago, former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf had hinted that Dawood was in his country, but also added that  it would not assist India to capture him. In August, the then union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi had said that Dawood is in Pakistan and Islamabad has been creating hurdles in getting him back to India to face the law. Mehrishi had said the government was taking all required action so that Dawood could be brought back to India. With inputs from PTI