Dhurandhar Controversy: Forget the Film’s Khanani Brothers, Meet the Real Javed and Altaf—Masters of a Hawala Empire under ISI’s Shadow

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Islamabad/Dubai: While Bollywood’s Dhurandhar has earned millions at the box office, the real story behind its infamous “Khanani Brothers” is far darker and more sinister. Behind the glitz of Dubai’s skyscrapers and global finance, there existed a shadowy underworld of hawala and money laundering, stretching from Karachi to Dubai and beyond. At the center of this network were Javed Khanani and Altaf Khanani, two brothers who ran one of Pakistan’s most notorious money-laundering empires—allegedly under the patronage of the ISI.

Javed Khanani: The Mysterious Face

Javed Khanani, the more elusive of the two brothers, was rarely seen in public, but he was the brain behind the operation. Unlike a Bollywood villain, he operated like a regular businessman, concealing his role as a central figure in the international money laundering system. By the mid-2000s, he had evolved from a simple currency dealer into a key player in global financial crime networks.

In 2016, Javed Khanani mysteriously died after falling from a building in Karachi, coinciding closely with India’s demonetization drive—a move that reportedly crippled the backbone of the Khanani network. His death remains surrounded by suspicion.

Altaf Khanani: The Network Builder

Altaf Khanani, born in 1961, was also considered one of the world’s most notorious money launderers. He built a hawala network spanning Pakistan, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and Australia, facilitating the flow of fake currency, drug money, and terrorist financing outside the formal financial system.

In 2016, Altaf was arrested in the United States on money laundering conspiracy charges, extradited to Pakistan, and spent three years in prison before being released in 2020. The network he operated caused severe disruptions in India, particularly the circulation of fake Indian currency notes (FICN).

A Network That Funded Terrorism

The Khanani network, operating under the guise of “Khanani & Kalia International (KKI),” was later designated a “Significant International Criminal Organization” by the U.S. Treasury. Intelligence agencies from India and the U.S. reported that the network acted as a financial switchboard for terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company. Through hawala transactions, funds were moved far from regulatory oversight, harming India’s economy and national security.

The Cinema vs. Reality

While Dhurandhar dramatizes the Khanani brothers as cinematic villains, the truth was far more dangerous and global in scope. Javed’s death, Altaf’s incarceration, and the eventual disruption of the network during India’s demonetization campaign show a chilling reality: behind every on-screen villain, there is a real-world network of power, crime, and international consequences.