5 Astounding Facts About Dawood Ibrahim We Bet You Didn't Know

Hailing from Dongri, Dawood Ibrahim is one of India's most notorious criminal masterminds who shook the entire country with murders, drug peddling, arms smuggling and terrorist attacks during the 80's and the early 90's.

And while a lot has been written about Dawood and his D-Gang, there are some facts that still remain unknown to many of us.

Crime writer, S.Hussain Zaidi in his latest book, Dawood's Mentor, pens down various aspects of Dawood's life, including his relationship with his mentor Khalid Khan Pacha who transformed him into the cunning mafia boss that he is known to be today.

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So here are 5 facts we bet you didn't know about Dawood Ibrahim.

1. Dawood was bullied as a teenager

In the book, Dawood's Mentor, Zaidi writes about how Dawood Ibrahim and his brother Sabir Ibrahim were bullied in school. At one instance, Zaidi pens down a scene where Dawood has been inducted into the Road Safety Patrol (RSP), and as a part of his duty, he was manning the Nagpada Junction when he heard that his brother, Sabir has been cornered by a group of boys while playing basketball at Ahmed Sailor High School. Dawood abandoned his post, and rushed to his brother's aid, only to find that Sabir has been badly assaulted. Dawood immediately ran towards his brother, but unfortunately they were outnumbered and outmaneuvered by their rivals. Both of them suffered injuries and cuts on their faces and bodies.

2. The man who mentored Dawood: Khalid Khan Pacha

Khalid Khan Pacha was a Pathan from Bhopal who came to Mumbai to become a cop, but ended up being a part of the underworld. He also had an integral role in shaping up Dawood to become the undisputed king of the Mumbai underworld. According to Zaidi, Khalid also laid the foundation for D-Gang, one of the biggest crime syndicates in Mumbai during the 80's.

Dawood and Khalid's relationship had many layers. Zaidi writes about how Khalid taught a young Dawood the techniques of unarmed close combat, which Khalid referred as 'survival techniques¡¯ and Dawood called it a 'hero fight'.

Apart from being a strict mentor, Khalid was a brother to Dawood - someone who could take a bullet for him. And Khalid, in fact, did in October 1980, when Dawood and Sabir were attacked by the Pathans, Amirzada and Alamzeb at the Nagpada police station.

Khalid saved Dawood's life by pushing him aside, before the bullet from Amirzada's gun hit Dawood.

'It was the first time that Khalid had saved Dawood¡¯s life and taken a bullet for him. Khalid¡¯s presence of mind, courage and agility had saved Dawood from certain death, writes Zaidi.

3. Dawood committed his first major crime at the age of 19

The first major crime that Dawood had committed was a bank robbery in 1974, when he was only 19 years old. He thought he was plundering Mastan's money, but it turned out that the cash belonged to the Metropolitan Bank.

4. Dawood's protege: Chhota Shakeel

Shakeel Babu Miyan Shaikh or popularly known as Chhota Shakeel was mentored by Dawood, and was also one of leading mercenaries in Dawood's B-Team. Chhota Shakeel is wanted for murder, extortion, and terrorism. In fact, he is also charged for his alleged involvement in the 1993 Bombay bombings.

5. Before Khalid, Dawood was mentored by Jenabai

Jenabai was a friend of Dawood¡¯s mother, Amina. She was an informer for the Bombay crime branch who had made quite a fortune for herself through bootlegging. Before Dawood began spending time with Khalid, his young mind was already corrupted by Jenabai and her dubious dealings, writes Zaidi in his book, Dawood¡¯s Mentor.

If this has got you hooked and you want to know more about the life of Dawood, go ahead and give Dawood's Mentor a read. Here's where you can buy it.