Dawood dons 'clean' new look

MUMBAI: For years, the few pictures of his menacing visage showcased a thick moustache. Well, India's most wanted, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, no longer sports that macho facial hair.

The CBI stumbled upon this fact after recovering an album of photographs, which included Dawood's pictures, from Karimullah Khan, an accused in the 1993 serial blasts. The discovery has, however, come five years late. Dawood shaved off his moustache some time in 2003.

Khan was arrested by Mumbai Police's Crime Branch last month and claimed to have worked in Dawood's palatial bungalow in the Clifton area of Karachi in Pakistan. He has told interrogators that Dawood has also put on a little weight and now appears to be a "little fairer" than he used to be. Dawood's health is reportedly closely monitored by a team of renowned physicians and dieticians.

According to Khan, special quarters have been set up near his bungalow where at least one doctor and two nurses are always present. These quarters were set up in late 2003 when Dawood had complained of severe chest pain. The album also has pictures of Dawood's brothers and some of his establishments in Karachi. Khan's album also has pictures of Anees Ibrahim's daughter's 2002 Dubai wedding (Anees is Dawood’s brother).

What has baffled intelligence agencies is that several businessmen and Bollywood personalities apparently refused to sever links with Dawood Ibrahim despite his turning virulently anti-national; IB officials said several of them would go via Europe and meet Dawood in Dubai to throw intelligence agencies off track. Two Muslim politicians from South Mumbai attended the 2002 wedding, Karimullah Khan said.

CBI officials have got from Khan a list of guests who attended the grand family weddings in Dubai; they include two controversial gutkha barons who wore burkhas to avoid getting caught by intelligence agency cameras.

"I, Javed Chikna and Anwar Theba were given the task of making arrangements for the wedding hall for the 2002 wedding; Anees even gave us a bakshish of 200 dirhams," Khan has told the CBI. Khan has been accused of ensuring that the RDX landing in Shekhadi, Raigad, in 1993 went off smoothly. He was arrested from Nalasopara last month.