Dawood Ibrahim: Verified Facts, Official Sources, and Unknowns

Every few years, a fresh rumour surfaces about Dawood Ibrahim—India’s most wanted fugitive—claiming he has been hospitalised, captured, or even died. Yet official records tell a quieter, more frustrating story: the man who built the D-Company syndicate remains wanted by Interpol, sanctioned by the United Nations, and the target of a $25 million US reward, and this article separates what is verifiable from what remains speculation using UN sanctions data, law enforcement notices, and media reports.

Wanted Since: 1993 ·
US Reward: $25 million ·
UN Sanctions: Yes (since 2006) ·
Interpol Notice: Red Notice

Six key facts paint the official picture of Dawood Ibrahim, drawn from the most authoritative sources available.

What is the latest verified information about Dawood Ibrahim?

As of 2025, Dawood Ibrahim remains on the United Nations Security Council sanctions list (1267 regime), meaning his assets are frozen globally and an arms embargo applies. The Interpol Red Notice remains active, and the Indian government continues to pursue him through diplomatic and law enforcement channels.

Is Dawood Ibrahim still on the UN sanctions list?

Yes. The UN Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee listing has not been removed or amended. The US Department of the Treasury designated him a narcoterrorist in 2003, and the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice program offers $25 million for information leading to his capture.

In August 2020, The Times of India reported that Pakistan placed Dawood Ibrahim on its own national sanctions list and ordered seizure of his properties. Pakistani authorities argued the move reflected the UN entry, but it did not lead to his arrest.

Meanwhile, a close associate of Ibrahim, Salim Dola, was deported from Istanbul to India and questioned about D-Company operations, according to India Today. His extradition signals that the network is still under pressure.

The implication: without independent verification, the official record is static.

What should readers know first about Dawood Ibrahim?

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar was born on 26 December 1955 in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. He moved to Mumbai as a teenager and began smuggling goods, then extortion, and eventually built the D-Company syndicate. By the 1990s, he controlled a sprawling network involved in drug trafficking, contract killing, and gold smuggling.

What is D-Company?

• Founded in Mumbai in the 1970s, D-Company is a global organised crime syndicate with operations in South Asia, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
• It has been linked to the 1993 Bombay blasts, which killed over 250 people.
• The FBI lists him as a wanted terrorist, and the Indian National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged him with terrorism and organised crime.

The implication: Dawood Ibrahim is not just a crime boss—his UN and US designations elevate him to a global security threat.

The pattern: even without operational control, the network persists under international sanctions.

Which official sources confirm key claims about Dawood Ibrahim?

Five authoritative sources anchor the most verifiable claims.

What is the role of the UN Security Council?

The UN Security Council’s 1267 Sanctions Committee lists Dawood Ibrahim as an individual associated with Al-Qaida. The listing includes his aliases, date of birth, and the grounds for sanctions: participation in the financing, planning, or perpetration of terrorist acts.

What does Interpol say?

Interpol’s Red Notice, first issued in 1993, seeks his arrest for organised crime, extortion, and forgery. It remains active, meaning any Interpol member country encountering him is expected to detain him pending extradition.

Additionally, the US State Department has a dedicated wanted poster, and the Rewards for Justice program confirms the $25 million bounty.

The pattern: official sources provide unambiguous designation but no recent location update.

What is still unclear or unverified about Dawood Ibrahim?

Despite decades of manhunts and sanctions, several critical questions remain unanswered.

Where is Dawood Ibrahim hiding?

Indian intelligence agencies and media outlets have long claimed he lives in Karachi, Pakistan, under state protection. Wikipedia notes this claim is persistent, while the Pakistani government denies his presence. No independent visual confirmation of his whereabouts has emerged in years.

What is his exact net worth?

Estimates of Dawood Ibrahim’s net worth range from $6 billion to $8 billion, but no court-audited or official figure exists. The UN sanctions committee does not list a net worth, and media estimates are extrapolations from his alleged illegal holdings.

• Current level of D-Company operational control: unknown.
• Alleged ties to Pakistan’s ISI: repeatedly claimed but lacking publicly verifiable proof.
• Whether he is still alive: presumed alive by law enforcement, but there has been no official public verification since the 2000s.

What this means: the lack of independent verification leaves the most basic questions open.

Who is Dawood Ibrahim?

Dawood Ibrahim’s life story is part of Mumbai’s underworld lore, but the documented facts are specific.

How did Dawood Ibrahim start his criminal career?

• 1955: Born in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra (Wikipedia).
• 1970s: Migrates to Mumbai, begins smuggling and petty crime (Wikipedia).
• 1980s: Founds D-Company; expands into extortion and drug trafficking (Wikipedia).
• 1993: Accused of orchestrating the Bombay blasts; flees India (India Today).
• 2003: Designated a global terrorist by the US (US Treasury).
• 2006: Added to UN sanctions list (UN Security Council).
• 2011: US offers $25 million reward (US State Department).
• 2020: Pakistan places him on its own sanctions list (The Times of India).
• 2025: Still at large; latest media reports of hospitalisation are unconfirmed (India Today).

The trade-off: the biographical arc is well-documented, but his current chapter is opaque.

Timeline of key events

• 1955 – Born in Ratnagiri, India (Wikipedia).
• 1970s – Moves to Mumbai, begins smuggling (Wikipedia).
• 1980s – Rises to power in Mumbai underworld; forms D-Company (Wikipedia).
• 1993 – Accused of orchestrating Bombay blasts; flees India (BBC).
• 2003 – Declared global terrorist by US (US Treasury).
• 2006 – Added to UN Security Council sanctions list (1267) (UN Security Council).
• 2011 – US offers $25 million reward (Rewards for Justice).
• 2020 – Pakistan places him on its own sanctions list (The Times of India).
• 2025 – NIA attaches properties of D-Company operative in Gujarat; reports of hospitalisation in Karachi remain unverified (The New Indian Express).

Expert perspectives

“Dawood Ibrahim continues to be listed on the UN sanctions list as an individual associated with Al-Qaida, subject to assets freeze, travel ban, and arms embargo.”

— UN Security Council Sanctions Committee

“The case of Dawood Ibrahim shows how a transnational criminal can evade capture for decades through state complicity and weak international enforcement.”

— Jamestown Foundation analyst in Jamestown

“Dawood Ibrahim fled India after the 1993 Mumbai bombings and has since remained elusive, with Pakistan denying his presence there.”

— India Today

For Indian law enforcement, the frustration is that despite UN sanctions, an Interpol Red Notice, and a $25 million bounty, Dawood Ibrahim has not been brought to justice in thirty years. The pattern of media reports—hospitalisation, property seizures, arrest of aides—does not change the core problem: the man himself remains beyond reach. For anyone following this story, the gap between official declarations and verifiable reality is the takeaway. Until concrete, independent evidence of his location or death emerges, the case of Dawood Ibrahim remains open—and deeply unresolved.

For a closer look at the personal network behind the syndicate, his criminal empire and family ties offers deeper context.

Frequently asked questions