On Monday (18th December), social media was abuzz with rumours of the death of wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, who has been hiding in Pakistan for decades.
As per the rumours, Ibrahim was poisoned by an unknown person, and he was rushed to hospital. Some posts on social media claimed he was critical, while others claimed that he died. The rumours began spreading on Sunday (17th December) after Pakistan’s internet went down.
Amid the rumours, an alleged screenshot of caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan, Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar, went viral on social media with claims that the said post confirmed the death of Ibrahim.
The post read, “The Messiah of humanity, dear to every Pakistani heart, our beloved His Excellency Dawood Ibrahim passed away due to poisoned by unknown. He breathed his last in a hospital in Karachi. May Allah grant him the highest position in Jannat. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.”
However, when OpIndia investigated the screenshot and the official handle of the Pakistani PM, we found that there was no such tweet. Furthermore, the handle used in the screenshot was anwaar_kakkar, while the real ID of the Pakistani PM is anwaar_kakar.
There is a handle called anwaar_kakkar, but that is a fan account of PM Kakar, and there was no such tweet either. It was evident that someone artificially created the post by adding text and a Grey Verified Check Mark on the fan account.
Pakistani journalists also fuelled the rumours. In a recent episode of Bheja Fry, Pakistani journalist Aarzoo Kazmi talked about the rumours surrounding the poisoning of Dawood Ibrahim and his critical health in the hospital.
She highlighted the fact that there was an internet shutdown in the country and emphasised that something was happening in Pakistan. She also talked about the rumours of Dawood Ibrahim’s poisoning and critical health. While she fanned the rumours, the rumours of Ibrahim’s death remained unconfirmed.
As per Aaj Tak, Ibrahim was indeed admitted to the hospital two days back. It is unclear what was the reason, but several reports talked about the rumours of him being poisoned.
Internet shutdown in Pakistan and possible reason
Though the rumours of Ibrahim’s death remained unconfirmed, it was indeed a fact that internet services faced a massive crackdown in Pakistan on 17th December.
Social media services and search engines stopped working without any prior notice. No one could access social media platforms like X, Facebook, YouTube, etc., and the Google search engine was down.
While it was rumoured that the crackdown was because of the poisoning of Ibrahim, in reality, it appeared that the Pakistani government shut down the internet to limit the access and circulation of videos of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s virtual rally.
Dawood Ibrahim and rumours about his death
Dawood Ibrahim is one of the most notorious and dreaded gangsters that India has ever seen. A criminal mobster and drug dealer in Mumbai. It is believed that he now resides in Karachi, Pakistan.
He was designated as a global terrorist in 2003 by India and the United States with a reward of US$25 million for his capture for his believed role in the 1993 Bombay bombings. In 2011, the FBI and Forbes named him number three on The World’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives.
While Ibrahim’s death rumours are all over social media, it has to be noted that such rumours find their place on social media platforms once or twice every year. It is a fact that Ibrahim is hiding in Pakistan, and the hostile neighbour categorically refused to accept his presence in the country.
OpIndia’s detailed report on terrorists being killed by unnamed assailants in Pakistan can be checked here.