The costly Mistake

(This is a fiction story based on certain real facts relating to the Mumbai blasts in 1993.)

Date: 9 March 1993

Place: Nav Pada Police station, Mumbai

Inspector Patil looked at the prisoners in an intimidating way. He was determined to nail down the real culprits of the communal riots, which had rocked the Mumbai city in 1992. Sub-inspector Shinde and Head constable Jadhav knew, when Patil sir decides something in his mind, he would have his own way, no matter what. The ten prisoners, who were the prime suspects, stood in one line. Fear was writ large on their face, dreading about what was going to happen next.

Inspector Patil moved closer to them, walking slowly in front of them to observe their expressions very carefully and try to spot a clue, which could help him in his probe and investigation. He was expert in analyzing the body language and the facial expressions of the criminals. After all, he had spent nearly fourteen years in the police department.

He stopped in front of a medium built person with rough unkempt hair.

“What is your name?”

“Sir, my name is Sakharam.”

“Where do you live?”

“Sir, I live in Sion.”

Suddenly, Patil slapped him tightly on his right cheek. The fear level in the room rose instantly. By reflex action, Sakharam placed his hand on the hurting cheek to sooth the burning sensation caused by that heavy fist.

“What were you doing during the riots last year?”

“Sir, I am telling the truth, I was not involved. I have been caught only on suspicion because I indulged in some fights earlier.” Everyone noticed the shiver in Sakharam’s voice.

“What kind of fights?” asked Patil more sternly.

“Sir, some people in my neighboring colony had been bullying me for some time. So, I too garnered support from my sources and thrashed them up.”

Patil looked at Shinde and Jadhav to ascertain their opinion about the veracity of Sakharam’s statements. They appeared to be in agreement with Sakharam, more because they were familiar with Sakharam’s past and his criminal record.

Inspector Patil looked at Sakharam coldly and moved on. That brought some relief to Sakharam. However, the remaining nine prisoners became tense, wondering whose number was next.

Inspector Patil moved ahead slowly. Suddenly, he punched the third prisoner in the row, in his stomach. That blow caught him unawares and he bent forward in pain coughing instantly. Inspector Patil caught him by his collar and pulled his face within a close range of few centimeters. His eyes teared the prisoner’s meek gaze as he asked, “What were you doing on that day?”

The prisoner was breathless. He fumbled with great difficulty, “Sir, I was not in town. I returned late in the night from my village. The police patrol caught me without any evidence.”

The sound of a tight slap echoed in the room. “Now, you want to teach me about evidence?” thundered Inspector Patil.

“No sir, I just wanted to say that I was not involved in the riots. Actually, I was little drunk on my way home. When they caught me, apparently I did not respond to them properly, which prompted them to round me up for further questioning.”

Inspector Patil saw the truth in his eyes. He slowly released his collar grip and left him. The prisoner tried to stand upright, still writhing in pain.

At that time, constable Bhende rushed in and informed Inspector Patil that Commissioner was on line for him. Inspector Patil asked Shinde and Jadhav to continue interrogating them for a while, until he returned after attending the call.

The moment Inspector Patil left the cell, there was a momentary relief in the atmosphere. However, that euphoria lasted only for a few moments. Sub-Inspector Shinde was in a bad mood, due to an intense argument he had with his wife in the morning over inviting his in-laws for a short holiday to his small one-bedroom apartment in Mumbai.

He took out his belt and looked menacingly at each one of them. The panic gripped them once again to see a new threat dawn on the scene. He randomly chose the seventh prisoner in the row and took him to an adjacent cell. The moment they were in the cell, he started lashing out at the prisoner, without even asking him a question.

The prisoner cried loudly trying to protect himself with his hands moving in defense to stop the impact of the thick leather belt. Sub-Inspector Shinde shouted while continuing his physical tirade, “What is your name?”

“Sir, my name is Gul Mohammed Shaikh. Please do not beat me sir. I have not done anything.”

“Gul Mohammed, tell me where were you on that day?”

“Sir, I was at my home. I did not do anything.” He pleaded with folded hands.

“Bloody, if everyone is innocent, then who created problem on the streets of Mumbai? Do you think all of us in the Police department are fools to buy in your stories?” Asked Sub-Inspector Shinde with a tone of sarcasm in his voice.

“Sir, please believe me sir. I did not do anything.”

At that point, Head Constable Jadhav too joined them and started thrashing Gul Mohammed with his shoes. Due to the impact, he instantly fell on the ground and cried hysterically trying to defend himself from this grave onslaught. His misery increased manifold, when he saw Inspector Patil enter the cell. For a moment, Inspector Patil assumed that Gul Mohammed had confessed his role in the communal riots. He too joined the duo and threw some heavy kicks and punches at Gul Mohammed.

When he could not take it anymore, Gul Mohammed shouted, “Sir, I shall tell you who did it… but please stop beating me.”

They immediately stopped beating him. They were happy to see a ray of hope in their investigation about the culprits who perpetrated the communal riots in Mumbai in 1992.

Gul Mohammed felt relieved at the momentary ceasefire and felt blessed not to receive any more blows. He lay there motionless for some time, trying to breathe normal and compose himself. Inspector Patil signaled Head Constable Jadhav to bring some water for Gul Mohammed. It was a commonly followed protocol to offer water and sooth a criminal, who agreed to confess and reveal the information.

Head constable Jadhav brought a glass of water and tea for all four of them. He ordered two chairs for his seniors, as the process of information flow was about to begin.

Gul Mohammed sat on the floor and gulped water earnestly. His face had mixed expressions of fear, anxiety, relief and worry.

Sub Inspector Shinde began the dialogue. “Yes, tell us Gul Mohammed. What was your role in the riots?”

“Sir, I was asked to throw stones at few buses and also burn a bus if it was empty.”

“Who asked you to do this?”

“Sir, Rehman asked me to do this.”

“Who is Rehman? Where does he live?”

“Sir, he is our leader. He lives somewhere in Koliwada area.”

“How often do you meet him?”

“Sir, we do not meet regularly. He contacts us whenever he wants us to create trouble in the city.”

“When are you likely to meet him next time?”

Inspector Patil’s sharp eyes caught a sense of uneasiness in Gul Mohammed’s body language. He sensed that Gul Mohammed was trying to hide something from them.

He entered the discussion. “Tell us, when and where are you planning to meet next?”

Gul Mohammed continued his silence. His gaze confirmed that he was worried deep inside.

Suddenly, Inspector Patil moved forward and slapped him on his face. Gul Mohammed cried in pain.

Head constable Jadhav cajoled him. “Look Gul Mohammed, please tell us everything that you know. We shall not harm you anymore. But remember very well, if you try to hide something or give us wrong information, you would regret it forever.”

Gul Mohammed appeared to have reconciled with himself to reveal the truth. He said in a very cautious tone, “Sir, there is a plan to carry out serial bombing in Mumbai.”

“What?” Cried Inspector Patil in disbelief.

“Serial bombing?” Asked Sub Inspector Shinde impatiently.

Gul Mohammed was not sure, whether he did a mistake by spilling the beans. Nevertheless, he continued in a guarded tone, “Sir, there is a plan to explode several high intensity bombs in Mumbai in a short span of time.”

“Who is planning this attack?” Asked Inspector Patil, still shocked with this revelation.

“Sir, I do not know who is the ultimate boss, but we got instructions from Tiger Memon.”

“Now, who is this Tiger Memon?” Asked Sub Inspector Shinde.

“Sir, he is our boss.”

“What does he do?”

“Sir, he smuggles Silver … that is his business known to us. He has some other businesses too.”

The Police officers exchanged meaningful glances. They had realized that they had stumbled on a very precious piece of information.

Inspector Patil asked curiously, “How do you know Tiger Memon?”

“Sir, he chose me along with 18 other men to form a special team.”

“To do what?”

“Sir, to carry out the serial bombings in Mumbai.”

The story had come back to serial bombings. For some reasons, Inspector Patil assumed that Gul Mohammed was trying to divert the attention of the investigating team, by mentioning about some ‘imaginary’ serial bombing plan. However, Sub Inspector Shinde was taking Gul Mohammed very seriously.

He asked in a probing tone, “Gul Mohammed, please tell us, what kind of training was given to you to carry out the serial bombing?”

Inspector Patil looked with slightly irritated expressions at Sub Inspector Shinde. He whispered in his ears, “Shinde, do you really believe that he is telling us the truth? He is simply trying to mislead us.”

Sub Inspector Shinde responded in Inspector Patil’s ears, “Sir, we cannot take chances. This guy is talking something very serious. Even if a part of what he is telling is true, this could have devastating effect on the law and order situation, and endanger the safety of our citizens.”

Inspector Patil restrained himself.

Sub Inspector Shinde continued, “Yes Gul Mohammed, please continue…”

Gul Mohammed said, “Sir, I travelled with the team to Pakistan via Dubai on 19 February. We were trained in making crude bombs and operating sophisticated weapons.”

“Who gave you the training? Did you see Tiger Memon?”

“There were special commandoes, who trained us. We saw Tiger Memon there.”

“When did you return from Pakistan? Did you come via Dubai?”

“Yes sir, I returned via Dubai on 4^th March.”

“So, how did you land in Police station? I don’t think you had a change of heart and you volunteered to confess…”

“No sir. Actually, the police arrested my brother last week, as a bait to catch me. My mother was worried about my brother. I surrendered, so that my innocent brother can be released from the custody.”

The story looked logical. Yet, Inspector Patil was not willing to believe it.

Sub Inspector Shinde continued, “When do you propose to carry out the bombings?”

“Sir, we plan to execute this mission on Shiv Jayanti next month.”

Sub Inspector Shinde had a worried expression on his face. There was not much time left for them to act. He exchanged glances with Inspector Patil and Head Constable Jadhav.  

“How many bombs you have planned? Which places do you propose to keep the bombs?”

“Sir, I do not know the exact number, but I presume the plan is to detonate around a dozen bombs. These shall be planted at prominent places in Mumbai such as Sena Bhavan, Air India office, Bombay Stock exchange etc.”

At that point, Sub Inspector Shinde realized that while he was extremely worried to know about the devilish plan to destabilize Mumbai, his senior, Inspector Patil seemed to be take it very lightly. The expressions of Inspector Patil’s face revealed that his thoughts. To avoid any further embarrassment, Sub Inspector Shinde decided to stop the questioning for now. 

He said in a reassuring tone, “Ok Gul Mohammed. Please do not reveal about this plan to anyone. We shall call you later again, for more information.”

He asked Head Constable Jadhav to escort him back to his cell. 

Once they left, Inspector Patil burst out into a loud laughter.

Sub Inspector Shinde was confused. He asked, “What happened sir? Anything wrong?”

Inspector Patil said, controlling his laugher, “Shinde, I am surprised that you are taking this third rate petty criminal so seriously.”

“But sir, I could make out that he was telling the truth as known to him. He did not cook up the story. We can make out whether he was telling the truth based on the pauses he takes, his eye contact and eye movement, his body language, his tone, his breathing pattern. I can vouch that he was not lying.”

“Shinde, the only thing I learnt from this funny and entertaining exercise is that these small time thieves have become excellent actors too. Just ignore him and his statements.”

“But sir, he has revealed very critical information about the plan, the people behind the whole plan and the timelines. I feel that this is unfortunately true. We need to take him more seriously.”

“Are you serious Shinde? I am surprised at your intellect and evaluation skills. Please drop it here and now.”

“Sir, but he was talking about a big time smuggler and mastermind of the proposed serial bombings…”

Inspector Patil said in an irritated tone, “Who was telling the story? And whose story was it anyway?”

The words fluttered and flew in the wind.

Finally, Inspector Patil said in a consoling tone, “Look Shinde, this guy is a petty thief. Here is no chance that he has gone to Dubai and Pakistan. He may not even have a passport. Who would give him visa to visit those countries? Moreover, he was talking about Tiger Memon. I had seen his name figure in some of our confidential dossiers before, but he is far too big to be in contact with a minion such as Gul Mohammed. Trust me, this guy is fooling us, by narrating some imaginary stories only to divert our attention from our investigation of the communal riots. Nothing else. Also, check whether he is on drugs or under influence of alcohol. Nevertheless, I appreciate him for his imagination skills and concocting such a thrilling story.”

Sub Inspector Shinde tried one last time. “Sir, please remember that we would be committing a costly mistake by not taking him seriously. History would never forgive us for this lapse on our part. Not many police officers get such an opportunity to crack a high-profile case and bust it before the damage is done. We are on the verge of an extraordinary accomplishment in our services. Apologies sir, but I do not agree with your assessment in this case. I strongly believe that we should probe him further, track down the other 18 people and stop the carnage from happening in Mumbai.”

Inspector Patil looked at Sub Inspector Shinde as though he looked at an obstinate child, who was not wiling to listen to his parents. He said, “Enough Shinde. Please do not bore me with your Bollywood style dialogues with history forgiving us, and all that nonsense. Rest assured that nothing of what Gul Mohammed has said is going to happen. Leave it to me. I shall handle it. Focus on the other guys and get more clues on our original investigation about the communal riots. We need to solve that case soon, as there is already political pressure building upon our department questioning our efficiency. So, let us get going on the real stuff, without wasting any more time on this quack.”   

The discussion stopped there. Sub Inspector Shinde was not at all comfortable that his senior was taking this matter very lightly. He tried to convince him in every possible manner using logical argument. However, when any argument is based on using power over logic, the winner is always one with power. Sadly, logic takes a back seat.

When Head constable Jadhav returned, he could sense some that some argument had taken place between his two seniors. He quietly left the place, not willing to be embroiled in the discussion, which would have most likely resulted in forcing him to choose a side. He did not want to antagonize any of his seniors in the department.

***

The news of Gul Mohammed’s arrest spread like a wild fire in the underworld circles. There was panic across the rank and file of the gang, which had planned the most audacious strike in Mumbai till date. The mastermind was very apprehensive that Gul Mohammed would spill the beans under pressure. The mastermind did not want to take chances. He did not want the plan to be aborted at this stage, after so many months of planning and coordination. That was not a preferred option. His sole intention was to destabilize the commercial capital of India and flare up communal tensions between two religions.

Immediately, he contacted his trusted lieutenants in Mumbai and sought their advice. After lot of discussions, most of which was over the satellite phones, to avoid being tapped by the intelligence agencies, they all arrived at a conclusion. They needed to advance the execution date, if they were really serious about it. They could not take chances, with Gul Mohammed in police custody. He was sure to start singing when police up their degree level of torture.

Accordingly, they worked with alacrity and executed the plan on fourth day of Gul Mohammed’s arrest, without waiting for the Shiv Jayanti. On 12 March 993, Mumbai witnessed its worst terrorist attack in the history, in which hundreds of innocent people lost their lives and thousands others were injured.       

The police department had a very strong clue before the attack. Had they taken it more seriously, many lives could have been saved.

This incident shall go down in the history as a costly mistake