Did Rs 500-crore land deal spark attack on Dawood?

According to sources, a disputed Rs 500-crore land deal in Karachi is alleged to be the motive behind the attack on Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Anees by a rival gang in Karachi last night.

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Though the Mumbai police and family members of Dawood have denied the incident, there is a strong buzz among khabris (police informers) based in Mumbai. According to sources in the gang, it is alleged that around 12.45 (IST) last night, members of a rival gang arrived near Dawood's Clifton house in Karachi and fired indiscriminately.

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A bullet hit Anees on the neck, and Dawood, who rushed out, also received bullet injuries. In all the assailants fired around 12 rounds, minutes before Anees was to sit in his car.

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Just rumours

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"Yeh beh bunidyaad khabar hai" (these are baseless stories) was how the family members of India's most wanted fugitive Dawood Ibrahim reacted to the media reports of the attack at their Nagpada residence.

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Advocate Shyam Keshwani, the family lawyer for Hasina Parkar said, "The family is very much upset over the baseless media reports. Dawood's relatives have told me that the television channels are running a false story and nothing untoward has happened to either Dawood or Anees".

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When asked if the relatives in Mumbai spoke to Dawood in Karachi, Keshwani refused to comment. Meanwhile the Nagpada police haven't seen any public movement outside Parkar's building, which falls in their jurisdiction. This was confirmed by Senior Inspector Jaywant Shelar of Nagpada Police station.

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Meanwhile, Hasina Parkar is said to be out of Mumbai and Iqbal Kaskar is fuming over the media reports, said sources. A senior IPS official from the State intelligence said, "We have not received any official report from our external agencies."