This article is written by Nishka Kamath, a graduate of Nalanda Law College, University of Mumbai. It is an attempt to throw light upon the top 10 most wanted criminals in India.
This article has been published by Sneha Mahawar.
Table of Contents
Introduction
“Society invites the crime, and criminals accept the invitation.” -Vikrant Parsai
Below is a list of all the most wanted criminals in India who not only accepted the invitation but overstayed there. The list ranges from Dawood Ibrahim to Chotta Shakeel to one of the biggest conspirators of the 26/11 attack- Major Iqbal. This article has information on all the top masterminds and gangsters who shook the entire nation with their heinous activities and caused a great catastrophe throughout the country.
Top 10 most wanted criminals in India
India, a nation that is home to around 1.39 billion people, a nation that obstinately believes in the idiom ‘unity in diversity’; a nation that respects all the religions, traditions, and norms; a nation that believes in living safe and sound in a unanimous manner, has, unfortunately, extremely high crime rates. As per a report, India ranks 71, with a rate of 44.43 per 100,000 people.
With each passing day, hundreds and thousands of people breathe their last because of crime in India. All these deaths usually get overlooked, but a few of them can never be forgotten. Remember the blasts of 26/11? Or the German Bakery blast in Pune? Such occurrences not only disturb the souls of the nation but also pose shame to humanity.
Herein below is a list of the top ten criminals in India who have made it scary for us all to even walk on the streets.
Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
Who is Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, also addressed as “Dawood Bhai, Sheikh Farooqi, Bada Seth, Bada Bhai, Iqbal Bhai, Mucchad, and Haji Sahab”, is a don, well-known as one of the most vicious fugitives in the world. He works in a close-knit group with his brother Anees and Chotta Shakeel, both of which are discussed later.
The birth, rise and history of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
Born on December 26, 1955, in Khed, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, to the late Ibrahim Kaskar (the head of constables in the Mumbai Police Department) and the late Amina Bi, was a boy named Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. He was raised in the Temkar Mohalla area of Dongri. There, he attended Ahmed Sailor High School but dropped out later on. It was in Dongri that he met Haji Mastan (the far-famed mobster) and thus began his journey as an underworld don. An issue arose when Haji Mastan attacked two of Dawood’s group members, which is why Dawood, in retaliation for the same, formed the D-Company with his brother Shabir Ibrahim Kaskar. This company is recognised to be one of the largest organised crime syndicates in the region of Southeast Asia. This crime group, which works mostly in Pakistan, India, and the United Arab Emirates, has been a party to everything ranging from narcotics to contracts for murder.
He has also worked for the Karim Lala Gang, a gang famous for liquor dens, gambling, and extortion rackets, inter alia.
After getting his name involved in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, which killed 257 people and wounded several individuals, he became the most-wanted criminal in India. Furthermore, in 2003, he was declared to be a “global terrorist” by the United States Government. To add to it, in 2011, he was listed as the 3rd in the world’s top 10 most dreaded criminals list by Forbes.
As per the US Government, Ibrahim Kaskar shares smuggling routes with al Qaeda and has joined hands with both al Qaeda and its South Asian affiliate- Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is well-known for causing the 2008 Mumbai attacks, perhaps with the assistance of Ibrahim Kaskar.
Why is Dawood Ibrahim wanted
The 1993 Bombay bombings
12th March 1993, a day which every individual of this nation dreads about, a day where 257 people lost their lives within a span of 2 hours and ten minutes. Also referred to as the “Black Friday” attack, this blast remains to be one of the deadliest coordinated terror attacks to emerge on Indian soil.
In this incident, properties worth Rs. 27 crore were sabotaged. This attack marked the first use of RDX in India and was planned and executed by gangster Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and his henchmen, including Tiger Memon. These attacks are alleged to be vindication of the 1992 riots that occurred in Mumbai after the Babri Masjid was demolished.
The explosives were believed to have been buried in cavities of cars, strapped in scooters, and hidden in suitcases, which were kept stranded in the buildings wherein the blasts occurred. It is believed that these bombs were set to be exploded on the occasion of Shivaji Jayanti but were postponed after the arrest of Gul Mohammad Sheikh alias Gullu, who was one of Tiger Menon’s henchmen. Gullu made a confession about the plan to the police, but they did not take this seriously. After this occurrence, the plan was postponed to March 12th, 1993.
This case was cracked by the Mumbai police within 48 hours of the blast. Individuals like Dawood Ibrahim, his brother Anees Ibrahim, Tiger Memon, and his brother Yakoob Memon were the main accused in this case and evacuated the country soon after this incident. Yakoob Memon was arrested in 1994 and was given a death sentence in 2015 after the refusal of several mercy petitions filed by him. Around 35 people are still wanted in the case. Further, in 2017, via a special court, Abu Bakar, Yusuf Batla, Shoeb Baba, and Sayyed Qureshi were held guilty and convicted in this case by the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on May 17.
The series of events
- On the afternoon of 12th March 1993, around 1:30 pm, there was a car blast in the basement of the 28-story commercial building known as the Bombay Stock Exchange. As per several reports, this explosion massacred around 50 people. This was the first blast in the 12 serial blast series.
- The aforementioned blasts were followed by blasts in Katha Bazar, Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar, the Air India Building, Fisherman’s village that is located at Mahim causeway, Century Bazaar, Zaveri Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Plaza Cinema, Hotel Juhu Centaur and Passport office.
India’s hawala system
Even today, as terrorists search for innovative technologies and methodologies to operate certain missions and acquire new sources of funding, their reliance on one traditional system continues to remain unaffected, meaning they still use the hawala system to move and distribute funds to their cadres and sympathisers all around the globe.
India has been tackling the issue of hawala for terrorists’ financing since time immemorial. For instance, the 1993 Mumbai blasts (discussed above) that were carried out by the Dawood crime syndicate were funded via the hawala system. He is believed to control most of the hawala system and is presumed to be involved in the Rs. 1,000 crore hawala racket unearthed by IT officials.
Illegal activities conducted by Dawood’s syndicate
Dawood, along with other international terrorists, namely:
- Haji Anees also known as Anees Ibrahim Shaikh,
- Shakeel Shaikh, also known as Chotta Shakeel,
- Javed Patel, also known as Javed Chikna, and
- Ibrahim Mushtaq Abdul Razzaq Memon alias Tiger Memon
are all believed to have indulged in unlawful activities like smuggling arms, narco-terrorism, money laundering, circulating bogus currency, and actively working and uniting with international terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Al Qaeda (AQ). This syndicate is allegedly believed to have around 5,000 members and is commonly known as the D-Company.
The destabilisation of the Indian Government
It is believed that Ibrahim’s syndicate has always been geared toward destabilising the Indian Government via inciting riots, acts of terrorism, and civil disobedience. From sources, it has occurred that Ibrahim used to support groups of Islamic militants economically to function against India. For instance, the LeT (Lashkar-e-Tayyiba) caused an upsurge in attacks in Gujarat by the same group.
Financing of Lashkar-e-Taiba
Dawood is also wanted for unlawful economic dealings of the crime syndicate controlled and managed by him, along with indulging in terror financing in the western suburbs of Mumbai.
Declared to be a global terrorist
As stated in the aforementioned paragraphs, Dawood was declared to be a global terrorist by the United Nations under UN Security Council Resolution 1267. He was also listed on the al-Qaida sanction list in November 2003. Further, the Council had also issued a special notice in his name in April 2006. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also made an announcement for a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh for information on the underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim.
The current state of affairs of Dawood Ibrahim
Recently, it was asserted by Dawood Ibrahim’s nephew, Alishah Parkar, the son of Haseena Parkar, Dawood’s deceased sister, that he lives in Karachi, Pakistan. He also claimed that on occasions such as Eid, Diwali, etc., his maternal uncle, Dawood Ibrahim, and aunt, Mehjabeen Dawood Ibrahim (wife of Dawood Ibrahim), get in touch with his wife and sisters. Thus, even though the Pakistan Government denies it, Ibrahim is probably in Karachi, Pakistan, having all his crucial ties to the powerful intelligence service.
Syed Salahuddin/Mohammad Yusuf Shah
Who is Syed Salahuddin?
Syed Mohammad Yusuf Shah, popularly known as Syed Salahuddin, the head of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, which is a military group functioning in Kashmir, is one of the most-wanted criminals in India. He is also the head of the United Jihad Council (UJC), which is an anti-India militant group working to affix Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan.
The birth, rise and history of Syed Salahuddin
Born in December 1946 at Soibug village in Budgam district, which is 15 km away from Srinagar, to a farmer-Ghulam Rasool Shah, was a boy named Syed Salahuddin. His maternal grandfather was a prominent spiritual figure and took a keen interest in his education and upbringing. During his years of schooling, Salahuddin wrote poetry in English and also became an efficient debater. During class 12, he got a first-class (commonly known as an inter-science then) but flunked to secure admission to a medical college. So, he graduated in arts from Sri Pratap College, Srinagar, and later pursued his master’s degree in political science from the University of Kashmir, which he completed in 1971. As per a biography published in the Hindustan Times, he was a significant Islamic scholar and preacher. Additionally, his Friday sermons at the Exhibition Grounds in Srinagar were widespread among youngsters. According to Showkat Ahmad Bakhshi of the Islamic Students League, his sermons were contemporaneous and “had the power to articular what was in our minds“.
In 1972, a year after his graduation, he was appointed as the tehsil chief (Amir-e-Tehsil) of Jamaat-e-Islami for Budgam. Afterwards, he became the Chief Mazime-Aala of the Tehreek-i-Talabe, which was Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing. Thereafter, in 1986, he was designated as the district Amir Jammat-e-Islami, Srinagar. Thereupon, in March 1987, he received a ticket for the assembly election as a candidate of the Muslim United Front, which later converted into the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference. But just before the votes were counted, he, along with other MUF (Muslim United Front) campaigners, was arrested. He was released from prison nine months after the incident. Afterwards, he drifted into belligerence, thus choosing violence. In April 1991, he was appointed as the supreme commander of the Hizb-ul Mujahideen, founded by Muhammad Ahsan Dar, alias “Master” of Patan in North Kashmir in September 1989. The takeover by Salahuddin saw increased activities of the JeIK (Jamaat-e-Islami in Kashmir) cadres as the overground force of the HM (Hizb-ul-Mujahideen). It is one of the most active terror groups in Jammu and Kashmir. Here, he adopted his nom de guerre “Syed Salahuddin”, named after “Saladin”, the 12th-century Mulsim political and military leader and the sultan of Egypt and Syria, who fought in the Crusades. In 2012, in an interview, Syed Salahuddin affirmed that Pakistan was supporting Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in a fight against Kashmir. He also announced that he would attack Pakistan if it stopped supporting jihadis in Jammu and Kashmir, as they were fighting “Pakistan’s war”. To quote him, “We are fighting Pakistan’s war in Kashmir and if it withdraws its support, the war would be fought inside Pakistan“. Further, he also vowed to block any pacifist resolution to the Kashmir dispute, threatened to introduce more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and pledged to turn the Kashmir valley into a “graveyard for Indian forces.”
Moreover, he is also the chief of the Muttahida Jihad Council, a grouping of terrorist organisations based in Pakistan. He was declared to be a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the US Department of State in June 2017. This is discussed in detail below.
Why is Syed Salahuddin wanted
Delhi High Court blast
One of the biggest strikes against Salahuddin is that he is alleged to have conducted the blasts in Delhi High that took place on September 7th, 2011. One of the accused who got arrested in this occurrence himself confessed that the blasts were carried on by Salahuddin and that he was the mastermind behind this operation.
Frequented several blasts in Jammu and Kashmir
Syed Salahuddin, along with his outfit, is very much accountable for all the blasts, fights, and attacks in Kashmir. His organisation works for the amalgamation of Kashmir with Pakistan. This organisation has close links with the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI).
Listed on the most wanted criminal list by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
He is also responsible for most of the criminal cases in India, which is why he was declared to be one of the most-wanted criminals by the NIA (National Investigation Agency).
Named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US Department
On June 26, 2017, Mohammad Yusuf Shah, aka Syed Salahuddin, was designated to be a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 by the U.S. Department of State.
This compels sanctions on foreign nationals who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.
The current state of affairs of Syed Salahuddin
In August 2020, India’s Enforcement Directorate had a charge sheet filed against Syed Salahuddin for a money laundering case related to providing economic aid for terror activities in J&K. Assets worth a total of ₹ 1.22 crores, besides other punishments under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2000, have been included in the charge sheet thus filed.
Later, in 2021, a court in New Delhi issued a summons with regard to a money laundering case related to supposedly acquiring funds of around ₹ 80 crores from Pakistan for carrying out terror activities across India. Besides, in 2022, a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court ordered the framing of charges against him under several sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967, including criminal conspiracy, waging war against the country, unlawful activities, etc., in a case related to the terrorist and secessionist activities that disturbed Jammu and Kashmir. The Court asserted that the financial aid for carrying out the terror activity was provided by Pakistan and its agencies, and even the diplomatic mission was used to fulfil the evil design.
All the above incidents and cases filed against him make him one of the most wanted criminals in India. Currently, he is said to be based in Muzaffarabad, which is situated in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and is wanted by Indian officials and the government.
Sajid Mir
Who is Sajid Mir
Sajid Mir, a Pakistani national from Lahore and an associate of the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, is on the list of most wanted criminals in India. His nom de plume includes “Ibrahim“, “Wasi“, “Khalid”, “Vashi”, “Vashibhai”, “Bhai Ali”, “Ali Bhai”, “Moosa Bhai“, “Wasi Bhai”, “Wasi Ibrahim”, “Sajid Majeed”, “Sajjid Mir”, “Bhai Moosa”, “Ibrahim Shah”, “Uncle Bill”, etc. He is famously known to be one of the lead suspects in the horrific 26/11 attacks.
His name is on the most wanted criminals list by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and in order to have leads on him, the FBI has announced a reward of $5 million to anyone who assists the police with his arrest.
The birth, rise and history of Sajid Mir
Sajid Mir, a terrorist commonly known as Sajid Majid, inter alia, was either born on 1st January 1978 or 31st January 1976, there is no proper claim on his date of birth. He was born into a middle-class Punjabi family and was the son of Abdul Majid, a textile business owner who shifted to Lahore, Pakistan during the India-Pakistan partition. He is also the son-in-law of a retired officer of the Pakistan Army. He entered India in 2005, secretly, as a cricket fan to watch a match between the cricket teams of the two countries, and stayed back for approximately 15 days. In 2012, Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari, in his interrogation, revealed that Sajid Mir visited India with a fake name and passport under the cover of cricket diplomacy to watch the India-Pakistan ODI Cricket match at Mohali. Ansari further revealed that after visiting several places in India, Sajid Mir prepared Taj Hotel’s miniature model to train the attackers to familiarise themselves with the hotel’s inner places.
This mastermind, as stated above, is a fellow partner of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. It is said that Mir’s association with LeT dates back to 1994, when he was around 16 years of age. He then kept achieving ranks in the terrorist outfits and later on became involved in LeT’s international wing.
He is also declared to be the leader in the planning of the 26/11 Mumbai blasts. Mir is said to have undergone training by Ilyas Kashmiri, an Al-Qaeda-linked militant commander who was reportedly killed in a US drone strike in 2011.
Mir also has had a pictorial depiction of himself, it so happened in 2015, when Kabir Khan, the director published a film named ‘Phantom’.
Why is Sajid Mir wanted
Militancy
In 1994, Sajid Mir was involved with the chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba: Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, and got early access to Zakir-ur-Rehman-Lakhvi. With the protection of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), he also plotted several terror attacks in the United States, France, and Australia.
The 2003 terrorism plot in Australia
In 2003, Sajid Mir plotted attacks against Australia with the aid of a French national named Willie Brigitte and an Australian individual named Faheem Khalid Lodhi. The former, after joining hands with Mir, converted to Islam and joined Lashkar-e-Taiba. Later, in May 2003, Mir provided monetary support to Brigitte to travel to Australia. Furthermore, in 2007, Brigitte and Sajid Mir were both sentenced to 9 and 10 years of imprisonment, respectively, by the Sydney police. Moreover, Brigitte, who used to train, prepare, and instruct, made a confession that Sajid Mir was very much known amongst the Pakistan Army, and thus, he never faced any trouble or difficulties while roaming in the Pakistan Army’s areas.
One of the major suspects in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks
Starting on November 26, 2008, and continuing through November 29, 2008, ten attackers who received their mentorship from the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation LeT carried out several coordinated attacks at numerous targets in Mumbai, ranging from hotels and cafes to a train station. This incident killed approximately 166 people, including Americans, Japanese, etc., among other nationalities (around 17 nationalities), and approximately 300 were wounded.
Mir was allegedly suspected to be the lead planner of the attacks, who directed and organised this occurrence and one of the many Pakistan-based controllers during these attacks. Furthermore, it was asserted that Mir spent two years surveying and reconnoitering this Mumbai incident. He visited Mumbai and Delhi in 2005, entering India as a cricket fan and stayed for about a fortnight doing his survey and plotting his moves for the attack. It was via this trip that Mir got an insight into the contours of both Mumbai and Delhi, which eventually helped him connive the invasion. Additionally, Mir, along with LeT’s operational chief Zaki-Ur Rehman Lakhvi, formulated an electronic blueprint of the Taj Mahal Hotel and plotted several rooms and halls on maps to make the 10 terrorists well-acquainted with the interiors of the hotel. The Crystal Ballroom of the Taj Hotel, which witnessed multiple firings, was specifically marked by Mir in the blueprint. He also made a miniature model of the hotel to assist the terrorists in getting an insight into how they would feel while visiting the place to wreck it.
It is said that David Coleman Headley (Daood Sayed Gilani) – the American terrorist who is now serving a jail term of 35 years in the US, helped Mir in executing this mission.
For this occurrence, Mir was arraigned in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, Chicago, Illinois, on April 21, 2011, and was charged with conspiracy to injure the property of a foreign government; providing material support to terrorists; killing a citizen outside of the U.S. and aiding and abetting, and the bombing of places of public use. An arrest warrant was issued on April 22, 2011. In August 2012, he was designated as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ by the US Department of Treasury. He was also moved to the most-wanted list of both the FBI and India for the same reason. He was also listed on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list for aiding and abetting, bombing places of public use, providing material support to terrorists, injuring foreign government property, killing citizens outside the United States, and other terrorist activities.
The 2008 and 2009 Denmark attacks
Mir is said to be the brain behind the 2008-09 Denmark bombings codenamed ‘Mickey Mouse’ which referred to the publishing of cartoons of the Prophet in the Danish newspaper named ‘Jyllands Posten.’ Mir collaborated with David Coleman Headley (an American terrorist) on this plan.
An associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba
Sajid Mir is one of the members of the terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba. He also handled the assignments of the ‘foreign affairs’ of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s international wing. Even though Sajid’s brainwashing to enter the world of hate and crime was initiated at home, it was polished by the training at Lashkar-e-Taiba camps, where he rose in positions and evolved to be the commander-in-charge for the training of western jihadists.
It has been believed that Mir has been a senior member of LeT for a long time, approximately since 2001. From 2006 to 2011, he was in charge of LeT’s external activities and guided, prepared, and scheduled several attacks on behalf of the group. Reports affirm that he remained the deputy chief of LeT’s international operations, but others indicate that he even led that unit at some point. He is declared to have enjoyed direct access to Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who was the chief of all terrorism operations. Ever since he allied with the organisation, he has been trying to maximise the global footprint of Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The current state of affairs of Sajid Mir
The above incidents caused Sajid Mir to be moved to the most wanted list of both the FBI and India. In 2019, there was a report published by the US on terrorism that stated that Mir currently resides in Pakistan. Further, there were claims by Pakistan authorities that Mir had died but the same was not accepted by the Western countries. In 2020, India sought the extradition of Sajid Mir, but the Pakistani Government did not respond to it.
However, in June 2022, Mir was sentenced to around 15 years of jail time with a fine of Pakistani ₹4,20,000 in a terror financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Lahore. This sentence was in regard to a terror-financing case by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan. Pakistan notified the global terror financing watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), that they had arrested and convicted Sajid Mir and sought removal of Pakistan from the ‘Grey list’ of the FATF.
Masood Azhar
Who is Masood Azhar
Masood Azhar, also known as Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi, is an Islamist and one of the most renowned terrorists. He was freed by the Government of India in December 1999 in place of passengers that were aboard on the Indian Airlines Flight, which subsequently landed in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He is the founder of the Pakistan-based terrorist group known as the Jaish-e-Mohammed. This group is mainly active in Pakistan-acquired Kashmir (PoK).
Azhar is said to be responsible for the 2001 attack on Parliament as well as the 2019 Pulwama attack. Further, it has been asserted that his actions are not limited to the South Asian region, say, for example, BBC News illustrated him as “the man who brought jihad to Britain“. It was on May 1, 2019, that Masood Azhar was enlisted as an international terrorist by the United Nations Security Council.
The birth, rise and history of Masood Azhar
Mohammad Masood Azhar Alvi was born in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan, to Allah Bakhsh Shabbir and Raqua Bibi. His father, Allah Bakhsh Shabbir, was a headmaster at a school run by the government. He was also a clergyman with Deobandi learnings, which were revealed via his book ‘The Virtues of Jihad’.
Azhar dropped out of his school in class 8 and joined another school- the Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia school, where he received his graduate degree. He was then appointed as a teacher. The madrasa (educational institute) was closely involved with Harkat-ul-Ansar, the other name being Harkat-ul-mujahideen, which played a great role in influencing him and other students to get involved in the Afghan jihad. But as he was not competent enough physically, it is alleged that he did not complete the 40-day military training held at Harkat Camp at Yavar in Afghanistan. Subsequently, he was assigned to be the head of the department of motivation, where he started amending the Urdu magazine- Sad’e Mujahidin in Urdu, and the Sawte Kashmir in Arabic. It was there that he started to motivate innocent youngsters of Pakistan and Afghanistan against India. He was later appointed as the general secretary of Harkat and was considered to be one of the best orators in the group. He also took several international trips for fundraising, spreading the message of Pan-Islamism and visited Lusaka, Chipata, Zambia, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, and the United Kingdom, among other destinations.
In 1994, he visited India for the first time in the battle of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Harkat-ul-Ansar, where he was arrested. However, in 1995, his acquaintances kidnapped six foreign tourists in J&K and demanded his release, but one of the hostages managed to escape, which is why they killed all the other five. Four years after this occurrence, in December 1999, five armed terrorists hijacked a plane [Indian Airlines Flight 814 (IC814)] with around 178 passengers on board who were held captive for seven days. The terrorists demanded the release of 3 terrorists, namely, Maulana Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zarar, and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, in return for those passengers. He fled to Pakistan after his release and became quite dangerous after that. He then created terrorist organisations like the Harkat-al-Mujahideen and Harkat-ul-Ansar to conduct terrorist activities in India. He then came to India in the year 2000 with a fake passport and carried out his first bomb blast, thus starting his journey of terror activities in India.
Why is Masood Azhar wanted
Activities in Somalia
Azhar made a confession that he visited Nairobi, Kenya, in 1993 to have a meeting with leaders of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya, which is an al-Qaeda-aligned Somali group, and the one who had requested funds and recruits from Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM).
It has been believed by Indian intelligence officials that he visited Somalia at least three times and that he also aided in the recruitment of Yemeni mercenaries (individuals employed to fight in an armed conflict who are not members of the state or any military group and whose primary motive is private gain).
Activities in the United Kingdom
Azhar’s activities in Britain are quite elaborate. Azhar entered the United Kingdom with the intent of going on a speaking, fundraising, and recruitment tour in 1993. It is said that he has passed out the message of jihad at some of the most reputable Islamic institutions, including the Darul Uloom Bury seminary, Zakariya Mosque, Madina Masjid in Blackburn and Burnley, and Jamia Masjid.
As stated above, it was in 2016 that he was labelled as a man who “brought jihad to Britain”. He also made several contacts with individuals on his tour of Britain, who ultimately helped him provide logistical support for many terror plots.
Activities in the United States
Masood Azar’s organisation, Jaish-e-Mohammed (discussed in detail below), had openly declared war against the United States. In 1999, after Masood’s release, the Harkat-ul-Ansar was proscribed by the U.S. and added to the list of banned terrorist organisations. This action contrived Harkat-ul-Ansar (discussed in detail below) to rename it Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM).
Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA)
The militant organisation Harkat-ul-Ansar was founded in 1993, and Masood Azhar served as the general secretary for the organisation. In 1998, the United State’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in its report stated, “HuA, an Islamic extremist organisation that Pakistan supports in its proxy war against Indian forces in Kashmir, increasingly is using terrorist tactics against Westerners and random attacks on civilians that could involve Westerners to promote its pan-Islamic agenda.” The CIA also stated that HuA had kidnapped at least 13 individuals, of which 12 were from western countries, in the period from early 1994 to 1998.
Founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)
Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), also known as the Army of Mohammed, Khudamul Islam, and Tehrik ul-Furqaan, among other names—is an extremist group based in Pakistan, which was set up by Masood Azhar in early 2000 after he was released from prison in India. The main motive of this organisation is to unite Kashmir with Pakistan and to cast out troops based in Afghanistan. JeM is said to be responsible for several attacks including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2016 Pathankot attack, the 2019 Pulwama attack, etc.
Further, it is stated that JeM has at least several hundred armed supporters based in Pakistan, India’s southern Kashmir and Doda regions, and in the Kashmir Valley. These supporters are mostly said to be of Kashmir or Pakistani origin, but they also include Afghans and Arab veterans of the Afghan war against the Soviets. This organisation uses light and heavy machine guns, assault rifles, mortars, improvised explosive devices, and rocket-propelled grenades to carry out their attacks.
This organisation was designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” by the U.S. State Department. It has carried out several lethal terrorist attacks, including one suicide bombing attack at the J&Kb legislative assembly building in the Indian-administered Kashmir. This incident took place in Srinagar in October 2001 and is known to have killed at least 30 people.
In 2002, Pakistan forbade JeM, and by 2003 JeM was divided into-
- Khuddam ul-Islam (KUI), headed by Azhar, and
- Jamaat ul-Furqan (JUF), led by Abdul Jabbar.
In 2006, JeM held itself guilty of carrying out several attacks, including the killing of numerous police officers in Srinagar. JeM remains to function openly in Pakistan even after the complete ban in 2002 on their activities.
The 2001 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly attack
After being freed from India, Masood Azhar flew to Pakistan, where he founded JeM (discussed above). This organisation, on October 1st, 2001, drove an IED-laden vehicle into the J&K Assembly and blew it up. This explosion resulted in the deaths of around 38 individuals.
The 2001 Indian Parliament attack
On December 13th, 2001, the members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Pakistan-based organisations, opened fire on the Parliament of India in New Delhi. This almost brought India and Pakistan to the verge of a full-scale war. This attack caused the deaths of five terrorists, six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, and a gardener, so in total 14 people lost their lives in this attack, five of whom were members of LeT and JeM. This attack also resulted in increased tensions between India and Pakistan, thus resulting in the 2001-02 India-Pakistan stand-off. After this attack, considering the diplomatic pressure from India and the international community, he was detained by the Pakistani authorities but was never officially penalised.
The 2008 Mumbai attacks
Masood Azhar is said to be responsible, along with Sajid Mir (the founder of LeT), also known as “Sajid Majeed Chaudhury”, for the 26/11 attacks. The chief of JeM, Masood Azhar, along with his brother Rauf Asghar, have been said to be behind these attacks, inter alia.
The 2014-15 Kashmir attacks
After a long break, with the hanging of the Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, JeM became active in Kashmir again and created the “Afzal Guru Shaheed Squad” and executed attacks on police stations and army camps in Kathua, Samba, Handwara, and Pulwama, which led to the deaths of over a dozen security personnel.
The 2016 Pathankot attack
On January 2nd, 2016, there was a terrorist attack at Pathankot air base in India. This attack resulted in the deaths of many security personnel. Reports claimed that Masood Azhar was one of the leading masterminds behind this attack.
In this incident, four heavily armed members of the Afzal Guru squad set foot in the high-security premises of the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot, and six security personnel lost their lives in this attack.
The 2016 strikes
On November 29, 2016, at around 5:30 am, three members of the JeM sub-cell Afzal Guru Squad attacked a unit of the Army’s 166 Field Regiment in the town of Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir. This attack led to the deaths of several Indian army soldiers.
Further, on September 18, 2016, an attack was carried out on an Indian Army camp in Uri, Jammu and Kashmir by the JeM organisation. The attack was carried out by heavily armed militants who executed a pre-dawn ambush on the brigade headquarters in Uri, near the Line of Control, which killed around 17 security personnel.
It is alleged that JeM’s Kashif Jaan, Rauf Asgar, and Masood Azhar are the masterminds behind this brazen attack.
The 2019 Pulwama attack
On February 14, 2019, at around 3:15 pm, a 20-year-old suicide bomber, identified as Adil Ahmed Dar- a jihadist from the Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). In this incident, 40-42 jawans were martyred in this attack, commonly known as the “Pulwama attack”. It is said that the vehicle had 200 kg of explosives.
In August 2020, a 13,500 charge sheet was filed in a special court in Jammu and Kashmir against 19 people, including Masood Azhar, for the planning and execution of this terror attack. The charge sheets had Masood Azhar, his brothers- Abdul Rauf and Ammar Alvi, and his nephew- Mohammed Umer FarooqFarooq, amongst others as lead suspects. The charge sheet involved the names of around 19 individuals, out of which 12 were residents of Kashmir, while 7 were Pakistani nationals. The Pakistani residents contained the names of Masood Azhar Alvi, Rouf Asgar Alvi, Ammar Alvi, Qari Mufti Yasir (killed), Mohammad Ismail, Muhammad Umar Farooq (killed in an encounter), and Kamran Ali (killed in an encounter). The Kashmiri residents contained the names of Shakir Bashir, Adil Ahmed Dar (the suicide bomber who was killed), Sajjad Ahmed Bhat (killed in an encounter), and Mudasir Ahmad Khan (killed), inter alia.
The vilification and provocation of attacks against India
In 2017, JeM conducted several rallies encouraging youngsters to conduct terrorist attacks against India. Further, JeM also publishes an online journal- al Qalam Weekly, that has extremist material and provocations that encourage individuals to conduct terrorist attacks against India. This journal glorifies the JeM attacks against Indian security forces and incorporates the contributions of Masood Azhar.
Declared to be a global terrorist
In 2019, Masood Azhar was declared to be a “global terrorist” after China lifted its grasp on a proposition for blacklisting the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief, a decade after New Delhi approached the world body for the first time on this matter. It was in March 2019 that a fresh proposal for Azhar’s designation as a global terrorist was moved by France, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. However, China, which was one of the five permanent members of the Security Council who hold veto powers, had earlier obstructed the proposal on technical grounds.
Since Azhar is now designated to be a global terrorist, Pakistan will be coerced to take action against him and all the individuals and entities associated with him, the organisations he has founded and so forth. This will also lead to the total restraint of Azhar and may also lead to the termination of his organisations and institutions such as terror camps and madrasas.
The current state of affairs of Masood Azhar
The whereabouts of Masood Azhar are not very well-known. Firstly, it was claimed that he resided in Afghanistan, but the same was refuted by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. The spokesperson, instead, asserted that Azhar is based in Pakistan.
This comes as Pakistan wrote a letter to Afghanistan for arresting Masood Azhar. Finally, it has been alleged that Maulana Masood Azhar is probably present in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Kanhar areas.
Ilyas Kashmiri
Who is Ilyas Kashmiri
Ilyas Kashmiri, also known as Maulana Ilyas Kashmiri, Muhammad Ilyas Kashmiri, Elias al-Kashmiri, Ilyas, Naib Amir, and Commando Commander, is a Pakistani ex-Special Forces Islamist guerrilla insurgent from Azad Kashmir, Pakistan who competed against India. He was also allegedly said to have been a successor of Osama Bin Laden and the head of Al-Qaeda by NBC News; the source of information is said to be United States officials.
He was also referred to as “one of the most dangerous men in the world”. Further, the late journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad affirmed that “he is invariably described by the world intelligence agencies as the most effective, dangerous, and successful guerrilla leader in the world.”
The birth, rise and history of Ilyas Kashmiri
Mohammed Ilyas Kashmiri was born in February 1964 in Bhimber in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. He attended Islamabad’s Allama Iqbal Open University, where he studied communications. It is also affirmed that he studied for a while in Karachi’s Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, a madrasa known to produce Islamist militants, which is where he formed the first jihad outfit in Pakistan, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), with the assistance of two fellow students. However, he soon dropped out pertaining to his connection to jihadist activities. In the 1980s, he lost an eye and a finger during the Soviet-Afghan war. It is also partly believed that he was involved in the Pakistan Army’s special forces, known as the Special Services Group (SSG); further, there are doubts as to whether he served in the military at all or not.
After the war with Afghanistan, Kashmiri had links with a terrorist organisation known as Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, commonly known as HUJI. He was designated to be the
“chief commander of Jammu and Kashmir” and his unit was named the Harkat-ul-Jihad Brigade (also known as Brigade 313). He, in this unit, gave training to his cadre at a camp outside Kotli in Azad Kashmir.
Kashmiri’s operatives were regarded to be an elite group of jihadists who set up a “daring series of cross-border operations into Indian-controlled Kashmir”. During a raid, Kashmiri was held captive and imprisoned for two years before breaking out of jail.
Later, in 2004, Kashmiri was arrested by the security forces in Pakistan for allegedly having links with the suicide bombers who rammed their vehicles into Musharraf’s convoy on December 25, 2003. However, he was released from prison after 30 days as the officials had cleared him of any doubt or suspicion against him. However, this incident left quite an impact on him, which is why he abandoned his struggle for Kashmir’s liberation, which is why he then shifted to North Waziristan with his family.
Why is Ilyas Kashmiri wanted
A senior operative of Al-Qaeda
Ilyas operated as one of the significant operational commanders for al-Qaeda and was fully engaged in transnational terrorist activities. He played a key role in al-Qaeda’s plans to hold attacks against the West. His threats against western countries appeared to be fruitful, considering his affiliation in linking David Coleman Headley, Tahawwur Hussain Rana, and Raja Lahrasib Khan with the operations of al-Qaeda and plotting attacks in North America and Europe. He was also detained by the ISI for his alleged role in several attacks, his links to al-Qaeda, etc.
Head of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI)
While studying in Karachi’s Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia, Kashmiri formed the first jihadi outfit in the country, which later became Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI). HuJI’s operations were led by Kashmiri in Kashmir. He then continued to serve as a member, but due to certain disagreements with Qari Saifullah Akhtar, the central leader of the group, he formed his own unit within HuJI, and named it “313 Brigade”.
Revenge against the loss of lives of fellow Muslims
Revenge against the Gujarat riots
Ilyas Kashmiri is allegedly said to have had a role in the attacks intended to avenge the Gujarat riots. In 2003, Mumbai was hit by a string of bombings wherein the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar were targeted, killing fifty-two people, amongst injuring many others. This attack was carried out in retaliation for the Muslims who lost their lives in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Revenge against the demolition of Babri Masjid
Ilyas Kashmiri is allegedly said to have had a key role in the attacks conducted as vengeance against the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. He threatened to take revenge for the massacre of Muslims in the Gujarat riots and the Babri Masjid demolition, stating that the entire Muslim community would never forget the same.
Pertaining to these incidents, he vouched that the entire Muslim community is one body and revenge for all the atrocities and injustice shall be taken.
Involvement in the Soviet-Afghan war and other attacks on Afghanistan
It was in the 1980s that Kashmiri fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan. He lost an eye and a finger on this battlefield. Further, it is also believed that Kashmiri was involved in the suicide attack on the Central Intelligence Agency’s Camp Chapman in Afghanistan’s Khost Province in December 2009.
Involvement in plotting the 26/11 Mumbai blasts
Kashmiri’s Brigade 313 had an involvement in the Mumbai attacks, commonly known as the 26/11 attacks, which are known to have killed around 160 people. David Coleman Headley had helped him in plotting the attack by conducting survey operations at several places. When enquired whether he had plans for more such attacks in an interview, he asserted that “Mumbai was nothing compared with what has already been planned for India in the future”.
Pune’s German bakery blasts
Kashmiri’s group was also responsible for Pune’s German bakery blasts in 2010. These blasts are known as the 2010 Pune bombing and the German bakery blast. This bomb was held responsible for killing at least 9 people and injuring 32 individuals through the ripping of a powerful bomb blast in the landmark German Bakery in Koregaon Park. This is one of his biggest strikes.
Kashmir conflicts
After his involvement in the war against Afghanistan, Kashmiri joined the Kashmir conflict as part of HuJI. In 1999, when he was asked what he would do if the conflict between India and Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir happened to have been resolved, he affirmed that there were several other places in India left to be conquered.
Multiple attacks on Indian states
Kashmiri is known to have attacked several Indian states, among them include the following attacks:
- The attack on American Centre in Kolkata in 2002,
- The blasts in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Jaipur in 2008.
Attacks against and on the United States
On March 2, 2006, HuJI set up a suicide bombing against the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. This incident killed four people, including U.S. diplomat David Foy, and injured 48 others. Further, in January 2010, Kashmiri was convicted for offences related to terrorism in connection with a terrorist plot to attack the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in Denmark by a U.S. federal grand jury.
Designated as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’
On August 6, 2010, Kashmiri was designated as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Moreover, his organisation- HuJI was also designated as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization.’
The current state of affairs of Ilyas Kashmiri
Ilyas Kashmiri was reportedly killed by a drone attack in South Waziristan, along the border of Afghanistan. The banned organisation- HuJI, had confirmed the demise of their leader (amir) and commander-in-chief in a statement which was faxed to media organisations in Pakistan. The spokesperson stated that Kashmiri was “martyred” along with other companions in the American drone strike. Further, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, stated that he was 98% sure that Ilyas Kashmiri had been killed. However, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan has been quoted as stating that Kashmiri is “alive and safe.” Even the United Nations (UN) updated the status of Ilyas Kashmiri, one of India’s most wanted criminals, as dead, until proven otherwise.
Chhota Shakeel
Who is Chhota Shakeel?
Chhota Shakeel, another criminal on the list of the top most wanted criminals in India, is an Indian crime boss. He has been on the radar for at least thirty years now. He is wanted for several cases of murder, extortion, and terrorism in relation to the 1993 blasts in Mumbai.
He is also Dawood Ibrahim’s most trusted aide and is also known to be the CEO of Dawood’s D Company. He has had major control in conducting the day-to-day activities of the Dawood Ibrahim gang.
The birth, rise and history of Chhota Shakeel
Chotta Shakeel, one of the most notorious criminals in India, was born in Bombay, Maharashtra. His real name is Mohammed Shakeel Babu Miyan Shaikh. He is also known as the CEO of D Company, Haazi, etc.
He initially ran a suspicious travel agency in Dongri, Mumbai; later, in 1988, he joined Dawood’s gang. After joining the D Company, he got involved in extortion, kidnapping, and betting with the assistance of other henchmen of Davood. He is famously known for murder, extortion, and terrorism.
Chotta Shakeel was arrested under the National Security Act in 1998 and underwent jail time for four months, after which he received bail and flew away to Dubai.
Why is Chhota Shakeel wanted
Ties with D-Company
Shakeel joined D Company in 1988, under the leadership of Dawood Ibrahim. With the assistance of Rahim Merchant (famously known as “Dogla”), who is an affluent Pakistani from Karachi, Pakistan, he made deals for the D Company and extortion activities and helped run many arms operations on behalf of the ISI. It is also believed that he was accountable for operations related to international drug trafficking for the D Company, and he worked with Afghan syndicates and Colombian cartels to carry out such tasks. Shakeel was one of the early members of the D-Company along with other joiners like Bishal Cheetah, Johnny Akhawat, and Liger Bhai/Mushu Bhai.
Shakeel worked his way up the ranks in D Company and later started managing the day-to-day business activities of D Company, which carried on until 2016. After that, Dawood’s brother, Anees Ibrahim Kaskar, began to skim money from D Company and threatened to oust Shakeel from leadership.
The 1993 Mumbai blasts
One of the main accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts is Chhota Shakeel. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had also announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh on any key leads that would lead to his arrest.
Attempts to kill Chotta Rajan
In 1994, when Chhota Rajan parted ways with the D Company and built up his own gang, Dawood, through Chotta Shakeel, tried to kill Chhota Rajan numerous times, but he eluded them every time. In 2000, Shakeel attacked Chhota Rajan in Bangkok. Further, even while Chotta Rajan was imprisoned, an attack on him was made via some henchmen.
ISI conspiracy
It is believed that Shakeel received aid for his illicit activities from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which is a Pakistani intelligence agency. He also ran several operations on behalf of ISI. After the 1993 Bombay attacks, he sought refuge in Pakistan with the protection of the ISI.
Acquisitions and criminalities
Real estate investments
In addition to the aforementioned activities, Shakeel also had an interest in real estate. His real estate empire grew to include possessions in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, the UAE, Kenya, Spain, and South Africa. He also owned several properties in India, Pakistan, and the US.
Investments in African mines
Further, he made investments in the African mines, thus smuggling diamonds to and for Ukraine’s Odesa Mafia and exchanging diamonds for weapons.
Extortion
In 2015, Shakeel also threatened some renowned builders in Mumbai along with his henchmen for the purpose of extorting money from them.
Added in the specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Person list
The current state of affairs of Chhota Shakeel
It is rumoured that Chhota Shakeel is dead and that this incident occurred in 2017. According to sources, Shakeel died in Islamabad, where he had visited for a meeting with the members of the infamous Odessa. However, there are two versions of his death, both not very authenticated to date.
As per one version, he had a cardiac arrest and was rushed to a hospital in Rawalpindi by air with the help of his bodyguards, but was declared dead on arrival.
Another version states that Pakistan’s ISI used Odessa to kill Shakeel because he was being tough to handle.
Point to be noted: After his alleged death, there were rumours that the Royal Thai Police had sent a letter to the Interpol asserting that Shakeel is no longer subject to the Red Corner Notice post his demise, however, this surfaced letter was later on proceeded to be fake.
Major Iqbal
Who is Major Iqbal?
The suspicious Major Iqbal, who was then identified as “Chaudhary Khan” is one of the top conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai blasts. It has been suspected by the US and Indian courts that he is a Pakistani army officer serving in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI). He is known to have trained David Headley, also known as Daood Gilani.
The birth, rise and history of Major Iqbal
Major Iqbal is known to be a cold, calculating operational mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai bomb blasts. He is allegedly known by the name “Chaudhery Khan”. He was born in 1965 in Lahore with Pakistani nationality.
Why is Major Iqbal wanted?
One of the biggest conspirators of the 26/11 attacks
Major Iqbal handled the logistical aspects of the 26/11 terror attacks, including pending money, selecting the locations and joining hands with other ISI operatives and terrorist organisations to carry out the attacks.
Planning and funding attacks by Lashkar
Main delegate of David Coleman Headley
Major Iqbal acted as David Headley’s main handler. He was once an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Administration. It was Major Iqbal who recruited David Headley and sent him money to start with the survey of identifying the major places for targeting the blasts in Mumbai.
The current state of affairs of Major Iqbal
Publicly, the Islamabad Government denied Major Iqbal’s role in any attack and also raised a query on his existence. But it is said that he was shifted to a new unit and was promoted.
Major Iqbal is now believed to be serving in the Pakistani army, however, there is not much information available about his whereabouts.
Hafeez Muhammad Saeed
Who is Hafeez Muhammad Saeed
Hafeez Muhammad Saeed is the co-founder of several Islamic organisations in Pakistan, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). He played a significant role in the 2008 Mumbai blasts and is also said to have been responsible for the 2001 Parliament attack.
After all the criminal activities he committed (discussed below), India demanded that Saeed be handed over to the custody of India by Pakistan, but there was no agreement between the countries.
The birth, the rise and the history of Hafeez Muhammad Saeed
Hafeez Muhammad Saeed was born in the city of Sargodha in the Punjab province of Pakistan on June 5th, 1950. A few years after the 1947 partition, his family left for Shimla in northwestern India. He became well-versed in Arabic and Islamic studies and also obtained a postgraduate degree from the University of Punjab. He, later on, started giving lectures at the University of Engineering and Technology based in Lahore. He also continued his education at King Saud University in Riyadh and then returned to Pakistan in the late 1970s where he was designated to serve on the Council of Islamic Ideology, which is an advisory council to the Government of Pakistan.
Later, around the mid-1980s, he co-founded an organisation that was then merged with an organisation led by Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, and it came to be known as Lashkar-e-Taiba. He is also said to approve of suicide bombings, hate Jews, Shias, and democracy, and is of the belief that jihad should be waged until Islam rules the world.
Hafeez is also accused of being one of the many masterminds of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai. Despite being under house arrest for the same, he is known to have organised protests against the US and India, which are discussed below in brief.
Why is Hafeez Muhammad Saeed wanted
Co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba
As stated above, Hafeez Saeed
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s primary target is to gain control over the Indian-administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir. On this, Hafeez once quoted “There cannot be any peace while India remains intact. Cut them, cut them so much that they kneel before you and ask for mercy.”
Leader of the organisation Jamaat-ud-Daawa
Hafeez Saeed is said to have lived a respectful life in Lahore at the designation of the head of the Jamaat-ud-Daawa, which is believed to be a front organisation of the LeT group by many. Saeed is said to have recruited several boys into the organisation.
He was also put under house arrest by the Pakistani Government when they were pressured to do so at an international level.
The 2001 Lok Sabha attack
Hafeez Saeed is also said to have an involvement in the attack on Lok Sabha that occurred on 13th December 2001. The Pakistani government took him into custody for this activity and he was held captive until March 31st, 2002, after which he was released but was taken into custody again on May 15th. He was then placed under house arrest in October 2002.
The 2006 and the 26/11 bombings and terror attacks
Saeed is also said to have played a key role in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings. Also, he participated in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, commonly known as the attacks of 26/11. It is only after these incidents that international scrutiny of him intensified. It is believed that his organisation LeT, was behind these occurrences.
Designated as a terrorist
Saeed is designated as a terrorist by the United Nations Security Council, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and Russia. Further, he is listed on India’s National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) most wanted list.
Publicly criticising India
Hafeez Muhammad Saeed is known to have publicly criticised India. There are several videos on the internet where he is openly making hate speeches against India.
The current state of affairs of Hafeez Muhammad Saeed
Recently, in April 2022, Hafeez Saeed was sentenced to 31 years of imprisonment in two cases of terrorism where he had provided economic aid. This incident occurred just 3 months before the scheduled review of Pakistan’s action plan by the Financial Action Task Force. He was already arrested in 2019 and was serving a 15-year sentence for being guilty of similar charges of terror financing in 2020.
Anees Ibrahim Kaskar
Who is Anees Ibrahim Kaskar
Anees Ibrahim Kaskar is yet another most-wanted criminal in India. He is the brother of Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, one of the most wanted criminals in India. He is a gangster, criminal mobster, and drug dealer who heads the organised crime syndicate-D-company. He is wanted for several cases of murder, extortion, and drug smuggling.
The birth, rise and history of Anees Ibrahim Kaskar
Anees Ibrahim is a Mumbai-based Indian terrorist, drug dealer, and criminal mobster. He is the son of a former Criminal Investigation Department havaldar, Ibrahim Kaskar.
As stated above, he has ties with his brother, Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, and his company, which is named the D-Company.
He is also said to have recruited several brutal operatives, including Chhota Shakeel, Ahmad Babu, Rajendra Nikhalje, and Sunil Sawant.
Why is Anees Ibrahim Kaskar wanted
The 1993 Mumbai blasts
Anees is allegedly involved in the 1993 Mumbai blasts along with other members of the D-Company. They are all the subjects of Interpol Red Notices for their alleged role in the 1993 blasts that took the lives of around 257 people.
Ties with D-Company
Anees Ibrahim is said to be the brains behind the day-to-day activities of the D-Company. It is also alleged that he plays a major role in the decision-making process of the company.
Co-accused of every crime committed by Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar
Anees is the co-accused for almost every crime committed by his brother-Davood Ibrahim, including smuggling, global hawala operations, counterfeit currency, extortion, contract killings, illegal betting, and, allegedly, major financial scams.
Running drugs, fake banknotes operations, extortions, targeted killings
Anees is also known to have played a key role in activities like drug trafficking, extorting money, contract killings, and money laundering on behalf of the D Company.
Wanted for several cases
He is also wanted by the Mumbai police for his connection with more than 24 cases of murder, extortion, and drug smuggling.
The current state of affairs of Anees Ibrahim Kaskar
Details of his whereabouts are not available anywhere, however, as per an article published in the Economic Times in 2009, Anees Ibrahim was shot in Karachi by unidentified assailants, as per an unconfirmed source. After this incident, not much has been heard about him.
Nonetheless, he is amongst the world’s most wanted fugitives. The United States Department of Treasury named Ibrahim as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker according to the Kingpin Act.
Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi
Who is Zaki-Ur-Rehman-Lakhvi
Last but not least, the most wanted criminal in India is Zaki-Ur-Rehman-Lakhvi. He is one of the founding members of the terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba and is said to be one of the primary suspects in the dreadful attacks in Mumbai in 2008, commonly known as the 26/11 attacks.
The birth, rise and history of Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi was born on December 30th, 1960, in the Okara district of Punjab, Pakistan. He is referred to as “Chachu” or “Uncle” by trainees who come to seek training under LeT. Lakhvi is a graduate of Jamia Mohammadia in Gujranwala, which is an Ahl-e-Hadith school.
It is stated that he began his journey in 1982, when he participated in the Afghan Jihad and then eventually rose to the rank of becoming LeT’s chief.
He has directed terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, Iraq, and South-East Asia.
Why is Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi wanted
One of the major planners of the 26/11 attacks
Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi, along with Hafiz Saeed, is said to be one of the major planners of the 26/11 attacks. Indian officials were of the opinion that Lakhvi communicated with the attackers during the journey and may also have been in touch while executing the attack.
Founder member of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)
LeT has carried out several attacks in India and is one of the most dreaded active terror groups in the country.
India’s NIA most wanted list
Lakhvi, being one of the masterminds behind the 26/11 attacks, was stated to be on the National Investigation Agency’s “most wanted” list.
Declared a global terrorist
Lakhvi is also listed on the United States Department of the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. He was designated as a global terrorist on December 10th, 2008.
The current state of affairs of Zaki-Ur-Rehman Lakhvi
Lakhvi was arrested in 2008 and imprisoned by Pakistani authorities in 2009 and was granted bail in 2015.
He is currently said to be in custody for his involvement in the 26/11 strike. In January 2021, he was arrested by Pakistani authorities and was convicted for three concurrent five-year sentences in jail for providing economic support in conducting terror attacks by Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Conclusion
Mentioned above was a list of the most wanted criminals in India was mentioned above. Even though we have several organisations like that of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987, commonly known as TADA, working to discourage such terror attacks, terror activities have occurred.
For a more aware society, it is important for us individuals to be aware of their whereabouts and wrongdoings. So, we, as individuals, can aid in reducing the chance of terror attacks or criminal activities by being vigilant and keeping an eye on any suspicious situations. For instance, if you happen to see an underlying suitcase or someone with a conspicuous interest in the security of a particular place, it is always beneficial that such incident(s) be reported to the police authorities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How and when will an individual be listed in the UN Global Terrorist List?
The criteria laid down by the UN Security Council with respect to terrorists associated with ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida are given in the 2610 Resolution of 2021. It states that if any individual commits any activity like that of planning, helping or providing economic support or carries out any activity related to supplying, selling or transferring weapons or any arms-related material or recruits for, or otherwise supports actions or activities of ISIL, Al-Qaida or any cell, affiliate, splinter group or derivative thereof, they can be listed in the UN Global Terrorist List.
Who has the highest bounty on the list of most wanted criminals in the world?
The criminal who is said to have the highest bounty on the list of most wanted criminals in the world is Alexis Flores. He was convicted for the offence of kidnapping, raping, and murdering a 5-year-old girl from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced a reward of $100,000 for providing any leads for this arrest.
Who has been awarded the highest bounty with respect to criminals in India?
Previously, Dawood Ibrahim was known to have the highest bounty for criminals in India. However, now, Mappalla Laxman Rao is believed to have been in this position. Rao’s bounty is said to be worth ₹ 1 crore, which is allegedly double the amount of Dawood’s bounty. Mappalla Laxman Rao, commonly known as Ganapathy played a major role in the formation of CPI (Maosit) which aimed to overthrow the Indian Government through people’s war.
References
- https://wirally.com/top-10-most-wanted-criminals-in-india/
- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/indian-criminals.php
- https://legodesk.com/legopedia/top-10-criminals-of-india/
- https://www.indiatoday.in/india/photo/india-most-wanted-367349-2012-04-04
Students of Lawsikho courses regularly produce writing assignments and work on practical exercises as a part of their coursework and develop themselves in real-life practical skills.
LawSikho has created a telegram group for exchanging legal knowledge, referrals, and various opportunities. You can click on this link and join:
Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more amazing legal content.
