MUMBAI: Contrary to reports in a section of the electronic media, Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees has not been detained in Jeddah or anywhere else, sources in the security agencies told TOI on Tuesday. ( Watch ) Right through the day, TV news channels had been continuously reporting about Anees's so-called detention. Joint commissioner of police (crime) Rakesh Maria said three persons have been detained in Jeddah, but he could not confirm if one of them was Anees, the colourful brother of the don.

A high-ranking official of the security establishment confirmed that "Anees is safely ensconced in Pakistan". The real story seems to be the intensive power struggle going on within the D empire. Dawood, his principal lieutenant Chhota Shakeel and Tiger Memon are closely controlled by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency. Dawood's drug smuggling and certain legitimate business operations are being looked after by Anees after their brother Iqbal surrendered to the Mumbai police.

But of late, there have been complaints of gross mismanagement against Anees. In fact, Dawood would have preferred Shakeel, who has been his loyal aide for several years, to handle these businesses, since Anees was known for his errant ways and tactlessness, which had landed him in trouble on more than one occasion. A few years ago, Anees was detained at Bahrain and was allowed to go only after 'bada bhai' Dawood intervened. With Shakeel also coming under the tight control of the ISI, Dawood let Anees take over many of his operations.

But increasingly, Anees's faults are coming to the fore and a section of the D company is vehemently opposing him. "Anees's only advantage is that he is the brother of Dawood. Beyond that, his contribution to the growth of D gang is not much. It is people like Shakeel whose sweat and toil made the gang what it is today," a source close to the underworld said. Along with Dawood, Anees fled to Dubai in the '80s and from there to Pakistan where he operates a smuggling syndicate and also owns several legitimate businesses.

He has several Pakistani passports and operates under several fake names. Among other things, he is a big-time manufacturer of gutka. According to the crime branch, equipment for gutka manufacture was supplied to him a few years ago by a manufacturer in Mumbai. Sources said a politically well-connected Pune-based businessman is Anees's benami partner not only in the gutka trade, but also in real estate