Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel are not in Pakistan but in 'This Country', Claims Indian Woman Journalist

New Delhi: Senior investigative journalist Sheela Rawal, who attended the wedding reception of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's daughter, says that Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel are not in Pakistan these days. The female journalist has made this claim in an interview given to an online platform.

Senior journalist Sheela Rawal, who has a long experience in reporting on the underworld, citing her sources, claimed that Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel are not in Karachi for the last 10 years. Regarding Dawood's current whereabouts, she said that Dawood is probably in a Muslim-majority country in Africa and Chhota Shakeel is in a country in South East Asia. Sheela Rawal said that she has heard many times about Dawood being in Yemen and Syria. It is possible that Dawood is in some such country these days, but not in Pakistan.

In her three-decade-long journalism career, Sheela Rawal met many associates of Dawood Ibrahim. These include Chhota Shakeel, Chhota Rajan, Abu Salem and Arun Gawli. In 2005, Sheela Rawal attended Dawood's daughter Mahrukh's wedding reception in Dubai, which was a high-profile event at the Grand Hyatt. At that party, Rawal saw Dawood for a while and Dawood also responded to her greetings. Sheela Rawal was the only journalist to enter that party amid tight security, but she was not allowed to take photographs or record videos.

Sheela Rawal has also written a book on her experiences of reporting on the underworld. In this book published with the title "Godfathers of Crime: Face-to-Face with India's Most Wanted", she has described Dawood's rise from a street criminal to the leader of a global crime gang.

Who is Dawood Ibrahim?

Born in Maharashtra, Dawood's name started rising rapidly in the Mumbai underworld in the 70s. Earlier he used to work in the Haji Mastan gang. Here, his influence gradually increased. Dawood was the mastermind of the serial blasts in Mumbai in the 90s. After carrying out this attack, he left India and fled to Dubai. After that he made his hideout in Pakistan. Many cases like terrorist attack, murder, kidnapping, contract killing, organized crime, drugs, arms smuggling are registered against him in India. In the year 2003, he was declared a global terrorist. Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel were close friends in the underworld and both were members of the D-company. After the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts, both came closer. Chhota Shakeel is considered to be Dawood's right hand.

Who is Sheela Rawal?

Sheela Rawal is an investigative journalist with almost three decades of experience in print and television media. She has specialized in reporting on the underworld. She is also a political commentator and business analyst, and has appeared on many international news networks such as CNN, ABC News, Sky News, Star Asia and BBC Radio. She holds a Masters in Economics and Sociology from the University of Mumbai. Godfathers of Crime: Face-to-Face with India's Most Wanted is her first book.