Book Review: Dawood's Mentor by S. Hussain Zaidi

 

The author believes that Khalid Khan Pehelwan played a very important role in making Dawood the mafia mobster of India. He also states that Dawood owed his life and power to this man. Khalid’s ancestors migrated from Batkhela in the present day Malakand Agency of Pakistan.

In the book, Zaidi covers the rise of Dawood Ibrahim in the crime world. He also traces how Dawood befriends Khalid. From school Dawood and his elder brother were notorious. Their father was in the police force. Khalid was Dawood’s inspiration. Dawood wanted to be like Khalid. Khalid had later established contacts with the Galadaris of Dubai. Galadaris were among the elite Arab families of Iranian origin in Dubai.

There is a saying in the Mumbai mafia: ‘Beimani ke saare dhande imaandaari se hote hain (All dishonest businesses are executed with the utmost honesty).’ Dawood drew inspiration for power play and money, clothes and style from other places. The first major crime that Dawood committed was a bank robbery on 4 December 1974. The author states that in February 1981 Dawood’s elder brother Sabir was killed. 28 bullets were pumped into his body. Khalid had great contacts in Dubai and knew the logistics of the business so well that he was involved in the movement of gold from coast to coast. He played a very important role in making Dawood a millionaire.

Between 1982 and 1985, the mafia became bolder and more violent. After Sabir’s murder, Dawood learned the importance of having access to power. Khalid managed to persuade a few big fishermen with trawlers to venture out into the open seas and cross the territorial waters. The territorial waters had a four-tier security patrol of the Indian agencies. Khalid’s men would get their speedboats close to the trawlers. In a few minutes the gold consignment was transferred into the fishing boats, some 30-40 km into the high seas.

Khalid and Dawood did not do business together as Dawood had asked Khalid to manage their businesses separately. Initially, Khalid was reluctant but he understood later. Khalid had a different way of doing business. The author states that Khalid and Dawood are still friends. For Dawood's the idea was simple. Break everyone either through money or threats. Dawood deceives his own business partners to make profit. Zaidi narrates the story on page 128 in the book.

After reading this book, now I am more curious to read Zaidi’s other work titled ‘Dongri to Dubai.’