D-Company is a name coined by the

Indian media Mass media in India consists of several different means of communication: television, radio, internet, cinema, newspapers and magazines. Indian media was active since the late 18th century; the print media started in India as early as 1780. R ...

for one of

Mumbai underworld Organised crime in India refers to organised crime elements originating in India and active in many parts of the world. The purpose of organised crime in India, as elsewhere in the world, is monetary gain. Its virulent form in modern times is du ...

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

syndicate founded and controlled by

Dawood Ibrahim Dawood Ibrahim (, ; born 26 December 1955) is an Indian mob boss, drug lord, and terrorist. He reportedly heads the Indian organised crime syndicate D-Company, which he founded in Mumbai in the 1970s. Ibrahim is wanted on charges including ...

, an Indian crime boss,

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

and wanted

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

. In 2011, Ibrahim, along with his D-Company, was number three on

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

's "

The World's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William ...

" list. It has been designated as a Global Terrorist Organization under the SDN by the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

Office of Foreign Assets Control The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the United States Department of the Treasury, United States Treasury Department. It administers and enforces economic and trade economic sanctions, ...

, with addresses in India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.

Overview

Shabir Ibrahim Kaskar Shabir Ibrahim Kaskar (died 12 February 1981) was a notorious Indian criminal based in Mumbai. He was the brother of Dawood Ibrahim, leader of the D-Company. The rise of the brothers in Mumbai's underworld and the sympathetic attitude of th ...

and Dawood Ibrahim established a criminal syndicate in 1970s India. Other prominent members of the gang include

Chhota Shakeel Chhota Shakeel (born Mohammed Shakeel Babu Miyan Shaikh; 31 December 1955) is an Indian crime boss and a high-ranking leader of the D-Company, a criminal group based in South Asia. He joined the D-Company in 1988 under the kingpin Dawood Ibrahi ...

Tiger Memon Ibrahim Mushtaq Abdul Razzaq Memon (born 24 November 1960), better known by the nickname Tiger Memon, is a gangster and terrorist, reputed to be one of the masterminds behind the 1993 Mumbai bombings. He is wanted by Interpol and the Central Bur ...

Yakub Memon Yakub Abdul Razzaq Memon (30 July 1962 – 30 July 2015) was an Indian terrorist over his financial involvements in the 1993 Bombay bombings, and the brother of one of the prime suspects in the bombings, Tiger Memon. After his appeals and petit ...

(linked),

Abu Salem Abu Salem ( ; born Abu Salem Abdul Qayoom Ansari), also known as Aqil Ahmed Azmi and Abu Samaan, is an Indian criminal gangster and terrorist Mumbai police The Greater Mumbai Police (Marathi language, Marathi: बृहन्मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Brihanmumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay City Police'') is the Police, police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a cit ...

and other underworld dons such as

Chhota Rajan Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje (born 13 January 1957), popularly known by his moniker Chhota Rajan, is an Indian gangster and convicted criminal who was the crime lord of a major Mumbai-based syndicate. Rajan was extradited from Bali to India on 6 ...

Ejaz Lakdawala Ejaz Lakdawala is an Indian gangster from Mumbai, Maharashtra. In May 2003, he was rumoured to have been killed when Dawood's gang-members, also known as D-Company, angered by his allegiance to Chota Rajan, opened fire at him in a crowded m ...

, who was arrested in Canada in 2004, and

Arun Gawli Arun Gulab Gawli (born 17 July 1955) also known as Arun Gulab Ahir, is an Indian politician, underworld don and retired gangster. Gawli and his brother Kishor (Pappa) entered the Mumbai underworld in the 1970s, when they joined the "Byculla C ...

History

In the 1970s, Dawood Ibrahim worked for a local smuggler named Bashu Dada. Bashu Dada was close friends with Dawood's father, who was a policeman. His father wielded immense clout among the gangsters and common people due to his sense of morality and justice, while also being a part of the Crime Branch. However, Bashu Dada and Dawood had a falling-out after Bashu Dada insulted the latter's father. In 1976, Dawood – along with seven of his close friends and his elder brother

– attacked Basu Dada with empty soda bottles, a first in the history of gang warfare in Bombay. After this incident Bashu Dada's key enforcer Khalid Pehlwan persuaded Dawood to start his smuggling operations, which led to the formation of the D-Company. Dawood and his elder brother Shabir, with the help of Khalid Pehlwan, began their smuggling operations. This ultimately led them to clash with the Pathan gang, the most influential gang in Mumbai at the time. By 1986, D Company had eliminated most of the Pathan gang leadership, emerging as the dominant gang in Mumbai. In 1993, D-Company associates were involved in the

1993 Bombay bombings The 1993 Bombay bombings was a series of 12 terrorist bombings that took place primarily in Hindu majority areas in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, on 12 March 1993. The single-day attacks resulted in 257 fatalities and 1,400 injuries. The ...

. Few have been jailed for it. In 1997, D-Company former member Abu Salem and Fazlur Rahman was responsible for the murder of

T-Series T series or T-Series may refer to: Technology * Apple T series, a family of processors * Canon T series, a line of single lens reflex cameras * Juniper T series, a core router * Sony Ericsson T series, a series of cell phones * SPARC T series, ...

founder and

Bollywood music Hindi film songs, more formally known as Hindi Geet or Filmi songs and informally known as Bollywood music, are songs featured in Hindi films. Derived from the song-and-dance routines common in Indian films, Bollywood songs, along with da ...

producer

Gulshan Kumar Gulshan Kumar Dua (5 May 1951 12 August 1997), was an Indian film and music producer and businessman who was the founder of the Super Cassettes Industries Private Limited music label in the Bollywood industry. After founding T-Series in 1983, ...

. In 2011, Indian intelligence agencies managed to link Dawood Company with the

2G spectrum case The 2G spectrum case was a political controversy in which politicians and private officials of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government India were allegedly involved in selling or allotting 122 2G spectrum licenses on conditi ...

, through DB Realty and DB Etisalat (formerly Swan Telecom) promoted by

Shahid Balwa Shahid Usman Balwa (born 1974) is an entrepreneur based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. He is one of the promoters of Mumbai-based DB Group. Early and personal life Balwa comes from the Chilya Sunni Muslim community, and his forefathers were ...

. Later in March, security at CBI headquarters in Delhi was tightened after it had been suggested that D-Company might launch an attack in an attempt to destroy documents relating to the ongoing probe of the 2G spectrum case. In 2015, a US Congressional report alleged that the D-Company was a "5,000-member criminal syndicate operating mostly in Pakistan, India, and the United Arab Emirates," which has a "strategic alliance" with ISI and has "forged relationships with Islamists, including

Lashkar-e-Taiba Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is a Pakistani Islamism, Islamist militant organization driven by a Salafi jihadism, Salafi jihadist ideology. The organisation's primary stated objective is to merge the whole of Kashmir with Pakistan. It was founded in 19 ...

and

al-Qaida , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

." However, the report had no political implications, and was mainly to brief lawmakers. Dawood was also wire-tapped by Indian investigators who found out he had real estate assets in Dubai under someone else's name. In 2018, Dr Louise Shelley, Professor at the

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

, stated that the D-Company was now mainly based in Pakistan and had diversified its assets.Dawood Ibrahim's D-company has diversified, US lawmakers told
, ''Indiatimes.com'', 23 March 2018 (accessed on 30 July 2019)

In popular culture

At times, Dawood Company has been linked to the

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

film industry, as well as real estate and betting businesses, from which it is said to derive considerable revenue. The 2002 film ''

Company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

'' is based loosely on its activities, as well as its sequel (prequel to the storyline) '' D'' (2005), ''

Shootout at Lokhandwala ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Apoorva Lakhia and produced by Sanjay Gupta, and Ekta Kapoor. Based on the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle bet ...

'' (2007), and '' Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai'' (2010). The 2013 film ''

Shootout at Wadala ''Shootout at Wadala'' is a 2013 Indian Action film, action-crime film written and directed by Sanjay Gupta (director), Sanjay Gupta. The film stars Anil Kapoor, John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee, Tusshar Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Sonu Sood. It is ...

'' is based on the rise of the D-Company. It also features in Salman Rushdie's 2018 novel ''The Golden House.''

Activity

D-Company makes large amounts of money through

extortion Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit (e.g., money or goods) through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, although making unfounded ...

kidnapping Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

racketeering Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercion, coercive, fraud, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit. ...

drug trafficking A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

narcotic The term narcotic (, from ancient Greek ναρκῶ ''narkō'', "I make numb") originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with numbing or paralyzing properties. In the United States, it has since become associated with opiates ...

s, and

contract killing Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...

s. For example, D-Company took advantage to smuggle gold and silver during Mumbai's economic struggles of the 1980s. According to Materia Islamica, they smuggled approximately 25–30% of India's total gold and silver imports. This created a monopoly that allowed their leader, Dawood Ibrahim, to set his own selling prices throughout India.

References

External links