Was underworld don Dawood Ibrahim behind close aide Jabir Moti's arrest in London?

It looks like some trouble is brewing in the infamous D-Company, and its members may reportedly not be as close as they were. After underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's close aide Jabir Moti was arrested from the Hilton Hotel in London on Friday, August 17, speculations are rife that it may be the don himself who got Moti arrested.

While it was earlier thought that Moti's arrest could be a result of India and the UK sharing details, Indian intelligence sources have now told the Times of India that there is a possibility of Dawood's involvement in the arrest.

"Dawood has been unwell for the past few months and wants to wind up his businesses in not just the UK and the US but also in Asian and African countries. He wants brother Anees Ibrahim and his kin to take over his other business responsibilities. Perhaps, he does not want his kin to face the problems he did," the source told the Times of India.

A Pakistani national, Moti is known to be close to both Dawood and his wife Mehjabeen and handles their finances in the UK – he has a 10-year visa – and the US. 

The UK police have not revealed any details of the arrest or the interrogation, but it is being said that Moti may have been detained on drug-related charges. "We are unable to release any details at this stage," a spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police had said. Now, India is likely to approach the British police requesting access to Moti and may investigate a few cases, one of which is expected to be the abduction of businessman Pramod Goenka (52) in Mozambique a few months ago.

Before this, Dawood is said to have sidelined another close aide and his key assistant Chhota Shakeel. The two fled Mumbai in the 1980s and had been living in Karachi, Pakistan, ever since. But in December 2017, it said that Shakeel, who, like Dawood, lived in the Clifton area of the city had moved out and was residing in an unknown location.

Shakeel was Dawood's most trusted aide for the last 30 years and was handling the key affairs of the gang. But the cracks in their equation appeared when the two had an argument over Dawood's brother Anees Ibrahim's interference in the operations and dealings of the D-Company, sources earlier told Times of India.

While Shakeel has stood by Dawood through thick and thin for about three decades, it has been said that Anees has of late been trying to usurp his position. Dawood had apparently even warned Anees against interfering in the matters, explaining that Shakeel is the one who would handle the gang's affairs, he refused to back down, leading to an argument between Dawood and Shakeel. This seems to have irked him and he since reportedly split with Dawood.

While this speculation went on for a few days, some later even believed that Shakeel may be dead. An informant told Hindustan Times that he may be dead and the daily even got hold of an audio clip of a conversation between Bilal, a member of Shakeel's gang, and a relative of Shakeel, who lives in Mumbai. And in the audio clip, the same was being discussed.

HT's informant gave out quite some details of Shakeel and said that the 57-year-old died on January 6, 2017, in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he was meeting members of the Odessa Mafia. Strangely, there are two versions of how Dawood's trusted aide died. While one says that he suffered a cardiac arrest and was declared brought dead by the Combined Medical Hospital in Rawalpindi, another version says that the Odessa had killed Shakeel at the behest of ISI.

The informant went on to add that Shakeel's body was kept in the morgue for two days and then moved to Karachi, where he was buried. His family was then moved to an ISI house in Lahore. While Dawood was told about Shakeel's death about two days later, not many know of his passing.