Vadodara : Amidst the swirl of rumors surrounding the fate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, a peculiar revelation emerges from the corridors of the Vadodara police in Gujarat. This revelation stands as a unique footnote in Indian law enforcement, marking the sole possession of fingerprints belonging to the elusive criminal mastermind, Dawood Ibrahim.
The narrative traces back to a fateful event on June 11, 1983, when Dawood Ibrahim, accompanied by his loyal bodyguard, traversed the Vadodara bypass highway. In an unexpected turn of events, Dawood found himself in a confrontation with notorious smuggler Alamzeb, leading to a harrowing clash. During this encounter near Alamgir in Vadodara, Dawood sustained a gunshot wound to the neck, a consequence of his bodyguard’s inadvertent discharge of a firearm.
The severity of the injury propelled Dawood’s transfer to Sayaji Hospital in Vadodara, where he occupied bed number 14 in ward B-1. Swiftly, a formidable police presence enveloped his ward, heightening security measures in response to the high-profile patient.
During this tumultuous time, Dawood Ibrahim stood as an associate of the infamous smuggler Lallu Jogi Patel, reigning over the Union Territory of Daman. Lallu, upon learning of Dawood’s condition, swiftly descended upon Vadodara accompanied by a convoy of 10 known smugglers and gangsters, converging at Sayaji Hospital to monitor Dawood’s precarious health.
A lesser-known fact in the annals of law enforcement history is that during this period, Dawood’s fingerprints were recorded by the Vadodara Police, a record that remains unique to this day within the country’s precincts. Astonishingly, even during Dawood’s apprehension by the Vadodara Police, his future as India’s most wanted gangster remained an enigma, unrecognized by the authorities.
As the years passed, Dawood Ibrahim transformed into the centerpiece of India’s most sought-after criminals, notorious for his involvement in various terrorist activities and anti-India movements, notably the 1993 serial bomb blasts. Despite being implicated in numerous criminal cases, including the Raopura police book where he remains a wanted accused, Dawood’s elusive nature perpetuates.
Reflecting on this exceptional revelation, a senior police official from Vadodara remarked, “The possession of Dawood Ibrahim’s fingerprints stands as a testament to the unpredictability of law enforcement. Our actions in the past unknowingly yielded a rare clue in the pursuit of justice.”
The unresolved court cases in Gujarat, including Vadodara, continue to echo Dawood Ibrahim’s name, underscoring the enduring legal battle against one of India’s most infamous criminal personas. Even as speculation mounts about his whereabouts, the imprints of that historic encounter remain etched within Vadodara’s law enforcement legacy, a symbolic relic in the ongoing quest for justice.
