Dawood permanently living in Pakistan: Rajnath Singh

PTI LUCKNOW, AUGUST 22 Terror mastermind Dawood Ibrahim is permanently living in Pakistan though he may be changing locations in that country, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.“Such people keep changing their location... But he is permanently living in Pakistan,” Singh told reporters on the sidelines of an event here. His remarks came as media published a purported recent photograph of the underworld don claiming that Indian intelligence agencies have evidence that the terrorist and his family were living in Karachi. Asked about the picture, Singh replied that he would not say anything without verifying it “I don’t want to comment on any news,” he said. On Dawood allegedly having three passports, he said, “Such people often possess a number of passports and I have said this even in Parliament. It can be possible. There is nothing new in it.” Dawood Ibrahim is wanted in India for the 1993 serial bomb blasts in Mumbai in which 257 people were killed and nearly a thousand injured. He is also accused of masterminding other terror attacks and of money laundering and extortion. There is an Interpol red corner notice against Dawood for his role in the 1993 blasts. In 2003, the US designated him as a global terrorist with links to terror groups al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba. Steep decline in Naxal attacks Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said that there has been a steep decline in the number of naxal attacks in the country. “There has been a steep decline in such incidents,” Singh told reporters when asked about today’s attack in insurgency-hit Bastar district of Chhattisgarh in which an STF officer was killed and a jawan injured. The attack occurred at 0200 AM when a contingent of Special Task Force (STF) was out for an operational task on NH30 in Darbha region of Bastar district. The location of the ambush is close to Jeeram Ghati area of Bastar where the top Congress leadership of the state was wiped out by Maoists in May, 2013, killing 31 people. Assistant Platoon Commandant (APC), STF Krishna Pal Singh was killed while a constable Santosh Yadav sustained minor injuries in the incident. Asked about Bihar elections, Singh exuded confidence about BJP performing well and forming government in the state.