IT Correspondent
Mumbai, Sept. 7:
The Mumbai Police has beefed up the security outside Matoshree, the residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at Bandra in North West Mumbai, following the threatening telephone calls received by Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
The crime branch of the Mumbai Police has made teams to trace the caller, who claimed to be calling from Dubai on behalf of the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and also threatened to “blow up” Matoshree in the next few days.
The caller rang up twice around 10.30 PM on Saturday, following which the police beefed up security at Thackeray’s bungalow located in Kalanagar Colony. “Someone called up on ‘Matoshree’ landline phone number twice on Saturday night and said Dawood wanted to speak to Thackeray. However, the telephone operator did not transfer the call to the CM,” the official said. Both the calls were received around 10.30 PM. A top police official said that that they are trying to verify whether the calls received were from Dubai or some other place or it was a prank call.
The Maharashtra government issued a statement over the unidentified calls on Sunday night saying that the “State Cabinet expressed concern over the threat received to blow off CM Uddhav Thackeray’s house and condemned the incident. The cabinet also demanded Centre’s intervention in the matter. “This is a serious matter and the Centre should immediately take cognizance of it”, members of the cabinet said.
In the meanwhile Dawood is stated to be living in Karachi in Pakistan and the Pakistani Government has listed his three addresses, in a document ordering sanctions against terrorists and terror organisations operating from its soil. White House, Karachi as one of his three addresses in Karachi. The document also lists the other two addresses- House Number 37 – 30th Street – defence, Housing Authority Karachi and a “Palatial bungalow” in the hilly area of Noorbad, Karachi.
In March 2010, the 1267 Committee (the al Qaeda Sanctions Committee) of the UN security council had listed four addresses for Ibrahim in a statement: “a) Karachi/Pakistan, White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton b) House Nu 37 – 30th Street – defence, Housing Authority Karachi Pakistan c) Palatial bungalow in the hilly area of Noorabad in Karachi d) Property at Margalla Raod F 6/2 Street no. 22, House number 29 in Karachi.”
According to counter terror operatives based in New Delhi and Mumbai, Dawood has been living in Karachi under the protection of the state. Not just that, he also has three-bullet proof cars in his convoy and often travels to Islamabad.
Three addresses in Pakistan’s Karachi city are in focus following Islamabad’s tacit acknowledgement that Dawood is one of the global terrorists designated by the United Nations designated and the main accused in 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts. Dawood could be having multiple residences in the Pakistani port city apart from being in possession of at least one Pakistani passport.
