India Strongly Rejects UN Rapporteur's Description of D-Company as 'India-based'

New Delhi has strongly rejected a UN special rapporteur's description of the gangster Dawood Ibrahim-led D-company as an "India-based" criminal group. Indian officials flagged what they termed glaring inaccuracies in the report and cautioned that such oversight causes harm to the international body.

Raghoo Puri, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, delivered the rebuttal during the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. He was responding to a report presented by Ben Saul, the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism.

Puri expressed serious concern regarding the release of reports containing factual inaccuracies without accountability for the special rapporteurs. He pointed out that Saul's report stated that the Security Council listed the leader of the "India-based D-Company" in 2003 for association with Al-Qaeda.

Clarifying the record, Puri emphasized that the criminal organization and its leader have been wanted in India for terror attacks dating back to 1993. He noted that the individual fled India well before the 2003 listing and was added to the sanctions list from outside the country.

Puri added that Dawood Ibrahim remains a wanted criminal residing in the same country where Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was located and killed. In addition, India highlighted concerns regarding potential bias in the report and referenced a 104-page investigation by UN Watch published in May 2026, which alleged that Saul received funding from China.

During the session, Puri also responded to remarks made by Pakistan's delegate regarding the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, dismissing the statements as propaganda aimed at narrow political gains. He reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh remain an inalienable part of India.

"International reporting requires strict factual accuracy and accountability, particularly when dealing with matters of global security and cross-border crime. When institutional reports contain significant geographical or historical errors, it undermines the credibility of multilateral organizations. For businesses and policymakers operating in a globalized environment, vigilance over international compliance frameworks, accurate data reporting, and transparent governance are critical to managing geopolitical risk effectively." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes