Mumbai Mafia true story – who is Dawood Ibrahim?
The kingpin and terrorist is the subject of Netflix's latest true crime doc: Mumbai Mafia.
Netflix has kicked off the New Year with an array of new true crime titles, exploring the crimes of conman Bernie Madoff in Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street and now Mumbai mob boss Dawood Ibrahim in Mumbai Mafia.
The 90-minute film dives into Ibrahim's network within the criminal underworld and his "unchecked power over the city" of Mumbai, until the rise of "encounter cops".
Looking specifically at the '90s, where the "battle between law and order and the underworld was at its peak", Mumbai Mafia is a fascinating examination of the gangster's reign of terror – but where is he now?
Here's everything you need to know about Dawood Ibrahim – the subject of Netflix's Mumbai Mafia.
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Who is Dawood Ibrahim?
Dawood Ibrahim is one of the most prominent criminals in the Indian underworld who has been declared as a terrorist for his association with Al-Qaeda by the United Nations Security Council and the United States.
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The 67-year-old is considered to be a criminal kingpin and large-scale drug runner, and in 2003 was placed on a list of global terrorists by the US, which described him as a "son of a police constable (who) has reigned as one of the pre-eminent criminals in the Indian underworld for most of the past two decades".
He joined the mob in Mumbai under Karim Lala before setting up a multi-billion-dollar criminal enterprise in the '80s and '90s, centred around prostitution, gambling and drugs, reports The Guardian.
In 1986, he fled to Dubai to avoid criminal prosecution but "continued to remain a key figure in the city's criminal web," the publication added.
Ibrahim has also been linked to a drug-smuggling operation, shipping narcotics in the UK and western Europe on a large scale, and is the head of D-Company – a Mumbai-based crime syndicate, The Times writes.
In 1993, he was named by the Indian government as a criminal behind the Mumbai attacks, during which 12 co-ordinated bombs were detonated across the city, killing 25 and injuring 700.
He is considered a terrorist by the US Department of the Treasury Office, which has forbidden US financial entities from working with him and reports that his syndicate has a smuggling route shared with and used by Al-Qaeda.
He was also suspected to be involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which left more than 170 people dead. India asked Pakistan to hand over 20 fugitives after the attacks, including Dawood Ibrahim.
In 2010, Ibrahim made Forbes' The World's 10 Most Wanted list, with many attempts being made to locate him.
Where is Dawood Ibrahim now?
While Dawood Ibrahim is still at large, he is reportedly living in Pakistan, with The Free Press Journal writing this month that Ibrahim recently underwent surgery to amputate gangrene-affected toes in a Karachi hospital.
Meanwhile, the publication also reported that he threw a birthday party in December at his palatial house in Defence Colony.
Mumbai Mafia: Police vs the Underworld is available to stream on Netflix.
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