Dawood Ibrahim is the main accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which around 260 people were killed, and more than 700 were injured. Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray Thursday claimed that fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim was keen to come back to India and was negotiating with the Center, which wants to take credit for his return.
He was addressing a gathering here during the launch of his official Facebook page.
“Dawood is now physically handicapped. Hence, he is keen on returning to India and he has been negotiating with the union government as well. The government will bring him back just before the general elections and try to seek credit for it... I am not joking but it is the truth that you will realize later," he said.
"Once he is ready to return to India, the Narendra Modi government will blow its own trumpet over it... It will be a political move of the BJP," he said.
Ibrahim is the main accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which around 260 people were killed, and more than 700 were injured.
He fled India post the bombings and is reportedly hiding in Pakistan.
In April, home minister Rajnath Singh had stated there was no doubt that Ibrahim was still in Pakistan. During the last 10 years, India has sent several dossiers to Pakistan in this regard, naming Ibrahim as the accused in the Mumbai blasts case.
In 2011, P Chidambaram, the then home minister, had also said that Ibrahim was based in Karachi. He had said that India would continue to push its case to bring to justice the people who had planned terror attacks in the country.
India has for long been advocating an extradition treaty between SAARC countries in order to ensure quick action against those involved in terrorist activities. Both India and Pakistan are members of SAARC.
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