The unknown caller claimed to be connected to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim (File)
Security at Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's official residence, "Matoshree", has been increased, after a phone call from an unidentified man who claimed to be calling from Dubai on behalf of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
The phone call, dismissed as a possible hoax by Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab, was made late Saturday night - around 10.30 PM - according to news agency PTI.
"Yesterday one call was received at Matoshree. The caller said, 'I am connected to the Dawood gang and want to talk to the CM. But it wasn't any threat call. The police will investigate whether it is hoax or what," Mr Parab said Sunday evening.
An unnamed official from the Chief Minister's residence was quoted by PTI as saying the "hoax" caller rang up the "Matoshree" number twice and said Dawood Ibrahim wanted to speak to Chief Minister Thackeray.
"However, the telephone operator did not transfer the call to the Chief Minister," the official said, adding, "The caller did not reveal his identity, but only said that he was calling from Dubai on behalf of Dawood Ibrahim".
Local police were informed about the calls, following which extra security was deployed outside Uddhav Thackeray's bungalow, the official also said.
The cops told PTI they were also trying to verify the source of the calls; the caller had claimed to be calling from Dubai.
Dawood Ibrahim, who heads a vast and multifaceted illegal business empire, emerged as India's most wanted terrorist after the 1993 Mumbai bombings in which 257 people were killed and 700 were injured.
Besides the Mumbai blasts, the 59-year-old don is also accused of masterminding other terror attacks and faces multiple charges of money laundering and extortion. India and the US also accuse Dawood of financing terror groups including al Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Last month the Pakistan government, after years of denying that it was sheltering him, admitted that Dawood Ibrahim lives in Karachi. The admission was in a list of 88 banned terror groups disclosed as part of its efforts to wriggle out of the threat of tough financial sanctions for helping terrorists.
According to Pakistani authorities, Dawood Ibrahim's address is "White House, Near Saudi Mosque, Clifton" in Karachi, Pakistan.
With input from PTI