D-Company Casts World Wide Web: How Dawood's Business Empire is Thriving

Underworld don and 1993 Mumbai blast mastermind Dawood Ibrahim is on the radar of security agencies all over the world. He is India’s most wanted man, third on the list of Forbes most wanted list and has been designated a global terrorist by the United Nations.

But despite all attempts to nail him, he continues to run his flourishing business empire from his bungalow in Karachi, Pakistan. His business interests span 16 nations in five continents. He has businesses in India, Pakistan, UK, Germany, Turkey, France, Spain, Morocco, Cyprus, UAE, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Here is what you need to know about Dawood’s business empire:

- Dawood’s business empire spans 16 countries in 5 continents.

- Forbes estimated his net worth at $6.7 billion in 2015. About 40% of his earnings are believed to come from India.

- He has over 50 properties across, UAE and UK. In UK alone, his assets are estimated to be worth $450 million.

- Dawood controls almost 70% of India's $1 billion piracy market.

- His main business interests include terror funding, drug trafficking and counterfeiting.

- Dawood runs Pakistan’s transport business - a lifeline for landlocked Afghanistan. He also funds transport companies operating out of Karachi.

- Dawood is the biggest operator of an international betting syndicate. His betting syndicate derives strength from his hawala operation based out of Dubai.

- In the past, the don has invested and produced many Hindi films. His name has also been associated with cases of match-fixing. But his main business in India is pumping fake currency notes.

- US treasury department declared Dawood Ibrahim as a global terrorist in 2013. He is No. 3 on the Forbes magazine list of world’s most wanted & dangerous criminals.

- UN security sanctions lists him as an associate & funder of al-Qaeda. The reward money to capture him is currently $25 million.

- He resides and operates out of a palatial bungalow spread over 6,000 acres in at D-13, Block-4, Clifton, Karachi in Pakistan. The UN has also confirmed that Dawood lives in Pakistan.