For decades, Pakistan’s intelligence establishment and India’s most wanted terrorist, Dawood Ibrahim, have been operating in tandem to wage a covert campaign against India. From the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts to the nurturing of terror networks and organised crime syndicates, the relationship between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Dawood syndicate has remained one of South Asia’s most enduring security concerns.
Now, intelligence agencies believe that this nexus is attempting to reinvent itself. Recent investigations and intelligence inputs suggest that after suffering a major setback with the dismantling of a Dawood-linked terror module, the syndicate is working on a fresh strategy, one that relies less on spectacular mass-casualty attacks and more on sustained psychological warfare through a network of contract killers operating across northern India and neighbouring regions.
From Bomb Blasts to Bullet Attacks: A strategic shift
According to intelligence officials, the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate is assembling a new network of sharpshooters tasked with carrying out targeted killings of individuals who are influential within their local communities.
Unlike previous operations that focused on politicians, celebrities or nationally recognised figures, the new strategy seeks to target people whose deaths would resonate strongly within local populations. The intention is not necessarily to generate nationwide outrage through a single attack. Instead, the objective is to execute a series of killings over time, creating a pattern that gradually fuels fear.
The approach bears similarities to selective targeting witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir in previous years, when shopkeepers and other influential local figures assisting Indian security agencies were singled out for attacks. Officials believe that the current plan follows the same logic. The victims may be ordinary citizens, but the repeated nature of the attacks is intended to create a perception that anyone could become a target.
Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested nine persons and recovered arms, hand grenades and explosives in connection with a terror module linked to the Dawood Ibrahim network and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). pic.twitter.com/FGFffM3K38
— Manjeet Negi (@manjeetnegilive) May 30, 2026
According to another official, while the operations would be carefully planned, the final selection of targets would be left to the network itself. The crucial instruction, investigators believe, is to ensure that killings occur at regular intervals and follow a discernible pattern.
The objective is psychological rather than tactical. By engineering recurring incidents of violence, the syndicate hopes to foster hesitation, fear and uncertainty among the public. Intelligence officials say the broader aim is to make people reluctant to venture out and create a sense that random shootings could occur anywhere.
This marks a significant evolution in what security agencies describe as Pakistan-backed proxy warfare. Rather than relying exclusively on large-scale terror attacks that trigger massive security crackdowns, the strategy appears designed to maintain a constant low-level atmosphere of fear.
The Munna Jhingada connection and the ISI’s new strategy
The emergence of this sharpshooter network comes shortly after Indian security agencies dismantled a major Dawood-linked terror module. The module was being operated by Dawood aide Munna Jhingada from Pakistan and was allegedly planning a series of blasts at key locations.
The operation was uncovered through coordinated action involving the Delhi Police Special Cell, the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Several individuals were arrested, including a Nepali national. Investigators believe the busted network represented a major project for the Dawood syndicate and its handlers.
Officials said the operation had the backing of Pakistan’s ISI, which viewed the syndicate’s extensive criminal and logistical links inside India as a valuable asset. The expectation was that the network would successfully establish an operational structure capable of executing attacks on Indian soil. Investigators described the module as being designed on lines similar to the network that facilitated the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.
🔥Mumbai ATS Arrests Munna Jhingada Associate Accused of Terror Conspiracy
According to reports, the Mumbai Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Delhi Police Special Cell have arrested 𝗛𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘇𝗮,who is alleged to be a close associate of underworld figure Munna Jhingada.… https://t.co/Zzo56EbLvd pic.twitter.com/y2JOtZwOSd
— Resonant News🌍 (@Resonant_News) June 2, 2026
Its exposure and dismantling therefore represented a major setback. According to officials, the failure forced both the syndicate and its ISI backers to rethink their strategy. It is in this context that intelligence agencies now view the emergence of the new sharpshooter network.
At the centre of this effort is said to be Sayyad Muzzakkir Muddasar Hussain, better known as Munna Jhingada. Investigators describe him as one of the most trusted and experienced operatives within the Dawood syndicate.
For years, Jhingada managed the gang’s network of contract shooters and reported directly to Dawood’s close associate, Chhota Shakeel. He later became one of Shakeel’s trusted gunmen and is believed to have been involved in multiple killings.
Officials say that his reputation within the syndicate grew to such an extent that he was entrusted with the task of eliminating rival underworld figure Chhota Rajan in Thailand. Although that mission failed, Jhingada’s standing within the organisation reportedly remained intact.
Following his arrest, he spent 17 years in a Thai prison before being extradited to Pakistan after completing his sentence. Investigators now believe that he has been assigned responsibility for building and supervising the new network of sharpshooters. Given his operational experience and past involvement in contract killings, officials say he is viewed as the ideal figure to lead this phase of the syndicate’s activities.
Karachi’s Clifton Road: The command centre behind the network
The recent investigation by the Delhi Police has also reignited scrutiny over one of the most sensitive questions surrounding the Dawood Ibrahim that where exactly is he operating from?
During the interrogation of eight accused persons arrested in connection with the Dawood-linked terror module, investigators were told that the primary point of contact was Munna Jhingada. More significantly, the accused reportedly revealed that Clifton Road in Karachi continues to function as a key operational hub for the syndicate.
According to officials, the fact that the operation was being directed from the Clifton Road area strongly indicates that Dawood Ibrahim remains based there. The location has long been associated with the fugitive underworld don.
Officials said Clifton remains his best-known address and is considered the safest location for him within Pakistan. Intelligence agencies believe that Dawood has five known addresses in Karachi.
Apart from the Clifton location near the Saudi Mosque, other reported addresses include properties in the Defence Housing Authority area, Noorbad and the 617 CP Berar Society. Officials added that he maintains two separate addresses within Clifton itself.
Investigators believe the clustering of key associates around these locations is no coincidence. According to officials, many of Dawood’s closest aides reside in the vicinity, and major criminal and terror-related activities are monitored from the Clifton area.
The probe also revealed that Jhingada established a command centre close to Dawood’s residence. Officials claim this facility was closely monitored and protected by ISI personnel. The arrested reportedly told investigators that Jhingada and his associates oversaw every aspect of the operation, from recruitment and logistics to procurement of weapons.
Following reports after Operation Sindoor that Dawood may have been relocated, Intelligence Bureau officials said he was temporarily moved among his various Karachi addresses as a precautionary measure. However, they insist that Karachi remains the nerve centre of his operations. Officials argue that the city offers a strategic advantage because it hosts a major ISI regional directorate responsible for security and operational oversight.
Terror, Underworld and State Support: The emerging nexus
Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the investigation is the extent of the coordination between organised crime and Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus.
According to investigators, several ISI officials were directly involved in planning discussions with Jhingada.These officials met him regularly and provided operational instructions regarding attacks inside India. The primary targets identified by the module were Delhi and Mumbai. Investigators believe additional cities would have been targeted depending on the success of the initial wave of attacks.
The probe further revealed the depth of logistical support extended to the network. Officials said the Dawood syndicate had earmarked Rs 20 lakh for the module upon successful completion of its mission. The arrested reportedly indicated that this was not viewed as a routine terror operation. Instead, investigators believe it was a specialised “hit job” that the ISI wanted executed, which explains the reliance on underworld operatives rather than conventional terrorist recruits.
Delhi Police Special Cell has arrested nine persons and recovered arms, hand grenades and explosives in connection with a terror module linked to the Dawood Ibrahim network and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
The Special Cell is probing the module's funding… pic.twitter.com/HOQ3jWNFCn
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2026
Officials also alleged that the ISI played a role in ensuring weapons reached India. Investigators found that Jhingada, assisted by ISI operatives, managed to drop hand grenades in Gurdaspur, Punjab. During its operation, the Delhi Police recovered a substantial cache of weapons and hand grenades. The plan, according to investigators, was to use grenade attacks against important locations.
Officials described such attacks as attractive from an operational perspective because they are relatively easy to execute while remaining cost-effective. The investigation also uncovered plans for extraction after the attacks. According to the accused, Jhingada promised safe passage into Nepal following the execution of operations. From there, they were flown to Dubai.
Taken together, these revelations paint a troubling picture of a network that blends organised crime, terrorism and alleged state sponsorship. For Indian security agencies, the concern is not merely the existence of individual plots but the evolution of a strategy that seeks to weaponise fear itself.
If intelligence assessments are accurate, Pakistan’s proxy-war infrastructure may be entering a new phase, one where low-profile killings, criminal networks and psychological operations are combined into a single playbook. The dismantling of the recent Dawood-linked module has undoubtedly disrupted one such effort. Yet the emergence of a new sharpshooter network suggests that the syndicate and its handlers are adapting rather than retreating.
