Dawood Ibrahim booked his grave in 1982

“He always said that he wants to rest next to his mother,” responded an old member of the D-company after hearing the news that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was looking for a burial place for himself in Mumbai. This was way back in 1982, and Dawood finally booked himself a spot at the Bada Kabrastan situated at Chandanwadi in Marine Lines, informed D-company sources.

As part of a donation to the Bada Kabrastan trust, Dawood and his family had paid a princely sum of Rs5,000 almost 30 years ago and booked burial places for all their family members. “Even today, maintenance money is paid regularly to the kabrastan authorities to maintain the burial place,” said the source. In return, the graves of Dawood’s kin are well looked after.

It is at this very burial ground that Dawood’s mother Ameenabi, father Ibrahim, brother Sabeer and brother-in-law Ibrahim Parkar have been laid to rest. And other members of Dawood’s family too have expressed their desire to be buried at the same cemetery as their parents.

Dawood’s elder brother Sabeer was killed by the Pathan gang in 1981. Following the killing, Sabeer was buried at the Bada Kabrastan. Dawood vowed to avenge his brother’s death, starting a spate of gang killings on Mumbai’s streets. “After Sabeer’s death, the Kaskar family decided that Bada Kabrastran would be where all its members would be laid to rest,” said another underworld source.

“In fact, when Dawood’s younger brother Noora died in March 2009 due to a heart attack, he too was to be buried at the Bada Kabrastan. But due to international pressure, his body could not be brought to Mumbai and was buried at a secret place in Karachi,” the source said.

Even today, added the source, on the day of Shab-e-Baraat (Badi Raat), members of Dawood’s family visits their parents’ graves and offer their prayers. “Immediately after he was deported in 2003, Dawood’s younger brother Iqbal too had sought permission from the court and visited his parents’ grave,” the source informed.
However, revealed a central intelligence officer, given the current situation, it would be difficult for Dawood to fulfill his wish of being laid to rest next to his parents. “If he dies in Pakistan, the authorities there would never admit that he was in Pakistan. Therefore, they may just keep his death under wraps and have him secretly buried, just like his brother Noora,” the officer said.