UK reportedly seizes properties of Mumbai blasts mastermind Dawood

In what is being painted as a diplomatic victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the UK government has seized properties belonging to India's most wanted terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim. The assets which have been frozen include the underworld don's properties in the Midlands.

Times Now first reported that a massive crackdown has been initiated by the UK government against Ibrahim, who is almost certainly based in Pakistan despite that country's denials.

The Birmingham Mail reported that Dawood owns a hotel in Warwickshire and other residential properties across the Midlands.

In 2015, India's Enforcement Directorate officials had handed over a dossier on Ibrahim to the UK and visited the Midlands to identify the Mumbai serial blasts mastermind's UK assets.

Earlier this month, Dawood was the only "Indian national" on an updated list of financial sanctions released by the UK, which also listed 21 aliases for the underworld don.

The mafia boss appeared on the UK Treasury Department's 'Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK' updated on Monday, with three recorded addresses in Pakistan, where he is reportedly based.

According to TV18, 'Kaskar Dawood Ibrahim' is recorded to have lived at: House No 37, 30th Street - Defence Housing Authority, Karachi, Pakistan; Noorabad, Karachi, Pakistan (Palatial bungalow in the hilly area); and White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan.

The fourth address on record until last year - House no 29, Margalla Road, F 6/2 Street no 22, Karachi, Pakistan, is no longer part of the records.

"Father's name is Sheikh Ibrahim Ali Kaskar, Mother's name is Amina Bi, Wife's name is Mehjabeen Shaikh. Also referred to as Hizrat and Mucchad," the UK listing on Ibrahim, first made on 7 November 2003, notes.

The listing also records 21 aliases used by Ibrahim: Abdul Shaikh Ismail; Abdul Aziz; Abdul Hamid; Abdul Rehman Shaikh, Mohd Ismail; Anis, Ibrahim, Shaikh, Mohd; Bhai, Bada; Bhai, Dawood; Bhai, Iqbal; Dilip, Aziz; Ebrahim, Dawood Farooqi, Sheikh; Hasan, Kaskar, Dawood; Hassan, Dawood; Ibrahim, Anis; Ibrahim, Dowood, Hassan, Shaikh; Kaskar, Daud, Hasan, Shaikh, Ibrahim; Kaskar, Daud, Ibrahim, Memon; Kaskar, Dawood, Hasan, Ibrahim; Memon, Dawood, Ibrahim; Sabri, Dawood; Sahab, Haji; and Seth, Bada.

Dawood is the main accused in the 1993 serial blasts case in which around 260 people were killed. He fled the country post the bombings and is understood to be hiding in Pakistan.

In January this year, some unconfirmed reports had said that the United Arab Emirates government may also have moved to seize assets of Dawood Ibrahim on its soil.