Pak hands over charge of fake currency to Tiger Memon
The Pakistani government had been under tremendous international pressure to rein in the activities of Dawood, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United States.
In a serious blow to fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim, Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has relieved him of the lucrative fake Indian currency ‘business’ and handed it over to 1993 Mumbai blasts mastermind Tiger Memon.
According to Indian intelligence sources, the move, which was initiated by the ISI two months ago, was finally put into operation early this month. The Pakistani government had been under tremendous international pressure to rein in the activities of Dawood, who has been declared a global terrorist by the United States.
For the past five years, Dawood’s close aide Aftab Batki had been overseeing the fake Indian currency racket through a wide network of couriers and smugglers based in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. Intelligence sources said such currency was being printed in ISI-protected printing presses in Pakistan. It reached India through Batki’s network.
The latest ISI move may be aimed at showing that it no longer patronises the Dawood gang. “It seems Dawood has lost his clout with the ISI top brass while Tiger Memon has strengthened his relations with it,” said a senior official.
According to sources, over the years, serious differences have cropped up between Dawood and Memon.