Shahrukh Khan's upcoming and most awaited film “Raees” is biopic of a Gujarati don Abdul Latif
Abdul Latif was born on 24 October 1951 to impoverished
parents living in Kalupur, a Muslim ghetto in Ahmedabad. His father, Abdul Wahab
Sheikh, was a tobacco seller bringing up seven children in a cramped hutment.
Latif struggled to finish school and soon after began to help his father at his
tobacco shop. He received two rupees every day from his father as remuneration.
He often fought with his father for more money. At twenty, Latif got married
and his financial requirements increased. His squabbles with his father over
money became frequent and he decided to branch out on his own. Unable to find
any respectable vocation, he took to crime in his early twenties. He began
working with Allah Rakha, a bootlegger, who also ran a gambling den. Latif soon
became an expert gambler himself and a card sharp.
Manzoor Ali, who ran a rival gambling den, was quick to
recognize Latif.s talent and asked him to join his gang. Latif became the
supervisor of Manzoor.s den on a monthly salary. After a couple of years,
having been accused of pilferage of money, Latif left Ali.s gambling den in
acrimony and bitterness.
He then drifted into the trade of illicit liquor and joined
a gang of liquor smugglers. Gujarat was”as it continues to be even today”a
state under prohibition, where the illicit demand for alcohol had given rise to
liquor mafias. Illicit liquor was brought from different parts of neighbouring
Rajasthan and sold at a premium. The trade required a vast and intricate chain
of suppliers, transporters, distributors, retailers and the support of corrupt
excise and police officers, as well as their political masters.
Latif cut his teeth in organized crime, grasping its basic
concept of running a hierarchy of criminals, where every level of operatives
played its allotted role, maintaining utmost secrecy and fair distribution of
the loot among gang members. The glue that bound them was the quick gains they made
regularly on account of the illicit demand that existed and the fear of severe
retribution if they broke the omerta. Latif quickly established his supremacy,
given his penchant for violence and bloodshed, and soon came to head an
elaborate gang of his own. Several cases of murder, kidnapping for ransom and
extortion were registered against him in different police stations across
Gujarat. His ruthlessness and daredevilry were to make him a gangster difficult
to pursue and apprehend.
Latifs first brush with the Mumbai underworld took place
when he was introduced to Amin Khan Nawab Khan, Alam Khan Jangrez Khan of the
Pathan gang of Mumbai by one Ramzan of Viramgam, Gujarat. The Pathans disclosed
that following a quarrel with the Dawood Ibrahim gang over a consignment of
gold, they had killed Dawood.s elder brother, Sabir Ibrahim, in Mumbai in 1981.
Ever since, the Pathans had been on the run. Latif gave them shelter in
Ahmedabad and, unwittingly, became aligned with the Pathan gang headed by two
brothers, Alamzeb and Amirzada.
In 1983, Alamzeb was returning by car to Ahmedabad from
Surat with his associates Liyaqat Master and Iqbal Bhupat. They had a chance
encounter near Baroda with Dawood and his aides, who were travelling by car as
well. One of Dawood.s aides fired at Alamzeb but he escaped unhurt.
Latif himself would have a few encounters with Dawood.
Detained in Sabarmati Central Jail, Ahmedabad, under COFEPOSA (an
anti-smuggling law), Dawood was being produced in a Baroda court. He had won
over the armed police team, headed by Sub-Inspector Bishnoi, which was tasked
with escorting him from jail to court and back. During these trips the escort
party allowed him, for a consideration, to visit a hotel off Narol Highway for
relaxation and entertainment. One day Latif was tipped off about Dawood.s
movement. He, with his team, followed the vehicle in which Dawood and his close
associates were travelling with Sub-Inspector Bishnoi. At Jamalpur, on account
of a traffic jam, both cars had to stop. Liyaqat Master, Latif.s hitman, got
off the vehicle, fired several shots at Dawood, quickly climbed back inside and
managed to flee from the spot with Latif. Dawood escaped unhurt but two of his
associates were injured.
Thereafter, a bloody war ensued between the two gangs, with
Latif on the Pathans. side. In September 1983, Dawoods hitman David Pardesi
killed Amirzada in court in Mumbai. David would meet his nemesis in Ahmedabad
some years later in the form of Latif.s shooter Sharif Khan.
Thus a habitual recidivist who had cut his teeth on
small-time gambling and bootlegging rose to script a story of an audacious and
fierce underworld don. He began to exhibit ruthless control over the levers of
his gangdom, which spread across India and beyond its borders as well. He had several
run-ins with rival gangs and the law. Meanwhile, his bootlegging business and
his gang activities continued to flourish. He built a Robin Hood type of image
for himself in his community by helping the needy and the poor. In early 1987,
lodged in jail, he contested the Ahmedabad Municipal elections from five wards
and won in all five. Hugely popular in his community, Latif had become a role
model for the younger lot. By the late 1980s, his ultimate ambition of becoming
the Dawood Ibrahim of Gujarat had been realized in substantial measure.
Things, in fact, began to turn around in dramatic fashion
and Latif.s clout in the underworld soared. Now even Dawood thought it prudent
to make peace with him. In November 1989 Latif received a message from Dawood
to come to Dubai along with his cronies. A maulana administered an oath to
Dawood and his men on one side and Latif.s men on the other. All of them swore
by the Holy Quran to be friends and work with each other. That was the coming
together of two dreaded criminal gangs now ready to play complementary roles.
Dawood advised Latif to quit the illicit liquor business and join him in the
smuggling of gold and silver. Latif got into the gold trade with one Mamumiya
Panjumiya, a notorious smuggler of Gujarat. In the interim, he also had to take
on one Shahzada of Mumbai, who had become his arch-enemy. In a series of gun
battles, several gangsters on both sides were killed. Abortive attempts on
Latif.s life kept him on guard and he never hesitated from taking murderous
pre-emptive action.
The 1992 Radhika Gymkhana Murders
Then came the infamous Radhika Gymkhana case, which would
set a new benchmark in the history of crime in Gujarat. Suspecting one Hansraj
Trivedi, an Ahmedabad-based bootlegger and owner of gambling dens, to have
given shelter to hired killers sent by Latif.s Mumbai rival Shahzada, Latif
decided to take revenge on Trivedi. On 3 August 1992, acting on a tip-off,
Latif sent a team of shooters to Radhika Gymkhana in the Odhav area of
Ahmedabad to target Hansraj Trivedi, who was playing cards there with eight of
his friends. The shooters, unable to indentify Trivedi for certain, called
Latif on the phone and informed him of their problem. Not known to deal in
half-measures, Latif played the hand he and his boys were dealt”he ordered his
shooters to kill everyone present. With the ferocious and blood-curdling burst
of an AK-47”the first time that a Kalashnikov was ever used in Gujarat””all
nine people, including Trivedi, were killed. As the horrific story of the
daylight slaughter at the gymkhana spread shock and terror across the nation,
Latif.s notoriety itself catapulted, immediately making him India.s most-wanted
criminal. For the super ambitious don from Gujarat, the nationwide attention he
was receiving after the gymkhana episode was like being on top of a gangland
pedestal”another infamous milestone crossed in a remorseless career.
But more was to follow. Following the Radhika Gymkhana
episode, Latif was on the run. His team of shooters had been arrested and had
disclosed to the police that it was Latif who had ordered the hit. With the
police on his heels, in sheer desperation, Latif approached Hasan Lala, a
childhood friend and president of the Gujarat Youth Congress, for help. Lala
expressed his inability to be of any assistance as a former Rajya Sabha MP,
Rauf Waliullah, was gunning for Latif. Rauf would not allow any relief to be
given to him. Reportedly, the former MP was going to publicly raise the issue
of the deteriorating law and order situation under the then chief minister of
Gujarat, Chimanbhai Patel, and the enormity of Latif.s unchecked criminal
activities. The insinuation clearly was that Latif enjoyed the chief ministers
patronage. Lala suggested that Waliullah be eliminated first before expecting
any powerful person to come forward to help Latif.
Meanwhile, Latif escaped to Dubai on the advice of Dawood
Ibrahim and entered his protection. From Dubai, Latif ordered his trusted
lieutenant Rasool Patti to kill Rauf Waliullah. On 9 October 1992 Hasan Lala
tipped off Rasool Patti about the presence of Waliullah at a photocopying shop
near the Town Hall, Railway Under Bridge, Ahmedabad. Rasool sent two shooters,
Sajjad aka Danny and Mohammad aka Fighter, who gunned down Waliullah in broad
daylight. The murder, perceived to be politically motivated, sent shock waves
down the corridors of power. Under political pressure, the Rauf Waliullah case
was transferred from the Gujarat Police to the CBI, and was handled by a branch
with which I was not associated.
Latif, a dreaded household name in Gujarat, had, meanwhile,
moved with Dawood to Karachi and was an honoured guest of Taufiq Jallianwala, a
Karachi-based gold and silver smuggler. Taufiq was a partner of Dawood and
Tiger Memon in their smuggling business and together they had planned and
executed the Mumbai bomb blasts in 1993 (see ˜Our Man in Dubai. for details).
Latif, too, had played an important role in the conspiracy. He had received a
consignment of arms and explosives that landed at Dighi Port in Maharashtra on
9 January 1993 and distributed it to other conspirators. The arms and
ammunition that reached film star Sanjay Dutt, who is doing time at Yerwada
Jail now, were part of this consignment.
When news of the Mumbai blasts came on the afternoon of 12
March 1993, Latif was with Dawood and Taufiq in Karachi and exchanged
congratulatory messages with the two masterminds of the terror attack. He
continued to stay in Pakistan and all law-enforcement and intelligence agencies
in the country believed that Abdul Latif, the Dawood of Gujarat, was in hiding
in Karachi, until one day the ATS of the Gujarat Police got a specific bit of
information on him.
~
On 22 September 1995, K.N. Sharma, DIG (ATS) of Gujarat,
informed me on the phone that Abdul Latif was calling on Ahmedabad telephone
numbers 66346xx and 66337xx to extort over rupees fifty lakh from the
subscriber of the two phones. Unable to pay the amount, the subscriber had got
in touch with the ATS.
Those were the days when mobile phones had not arrived in
India. Even otherwise, a call made on a landline phone from another landline,
and that too from another city, was difficult to track. With the victim.s
consent and cooperation, the two telephones were monitored by the ATS, and with
help from the Ahmedabad Telephone Authority, ATS came to the conclusion that
the calls were being made through a D-TAX (digital telephone automatic
exchange) located at Khurshid Lal Bhawan, Janpath, New Delhi. Kuldip Sharma,
DIG (ATS), sought help from the STF of the CBI, of which I was then the DIG, to
track down the calling number and, if successful, to organize an operation to
nab Latif.
On the same day I directed H.C. Singh, SP (STF), and M.K.
Bhat, DSP (STF), to visit the MTNL headquarters at Janpath, New Delhi. They met
Sunil Saxena, DGM, Janpath D-TAX. Saxena, though extremely responsive and warm,
explained that it was virtually impossible to track down the calling number in
Delhi because of the complex steps involved:
(i) The call must last for at least ten to twelve minutes
for it to be tracked from the called number in Ahmedabad to the calling number
in Delhi.
(ii) As and when the number in Ahmedabad got called in
future by Latif, the local exchange to which it belonged (Naurangpur Exchange)
had to be alerted.
(iii) The Naurangpur Exchange would then alert the Ahmedabad
D-TAX, which in turn would track and tell whether the call had been routed to
D-TAX 1 or D-TAX 2 in Delhi.
(iv) Even if the concerned D-TAX in Delhi was informed while
the call was in progress, there were over thirty exchanges in the city from
where the call could originate. Moreover, some of the thirty exchanges were
non-electronic. If the call originated through a non-electronic exchange, which
was quite likely, there was no way the number could be traced further.
(v) It would be necessary that the Ahmedabad D-TAX through
which the call was routed should inform D-TAX on a real-time basis as the call
was in progress. And, Delhi D-TAX 1 and D-TAX 2 should be manned at the time
the call was on so that D-TAX, Janpath, could inform the concerned exchange in
Delhi on telephone, which would then make an effort to track down the number.
Most automatic exchanges in Delhi were not manned after 9 p.m.
We took full cognizance of the practical problems in
tracking down the number. However, I told Saxena that rather than not make an
effort at all, we should take our chances and do whatever was possible. There
was one thing that worked in our favour”the extortion calls made by Latif were
generally between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Therefore, joint observation by the
Gujarat ATS, STF of CBI and the telephone authorities of Ahmedabad and Delhi
was required only for a few hours every day. In coordination with the ATS,
officers were detailed on the two numbers in Ahmedabad, who were in wireless
contact with their local Naurangpur Exchange, who in turn were in wireless
contact with D-TAX, Ahmadabad. A team of STF was located in D-TAX 1 as well as
in D-TAX 2 in Delhi between 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on a daily basis. I kept my
seniors in the CBI in the loop.
This arrangement continued without any success for several
days. In the interim, Latif called Ahmedabad a few times but the calls lasted
only a couple of minutes, so the calling number could not be traced. On 7
September 1995, to our good luck, a call made by him lasted for more than
thirteen minutes during which the entire chain of communication set up between
the Gujarat ATS, CBI STF and the telephone officials of the two cities moved
like clockwork, and the calling number in Delhi was traced”3281xxx of the
Daryaganj Exchange. The calling number was that of a PCO near Jama Masjid, a
historical mosque in Old Delhi around which a congested and chaotic
residential-cum-commercial area thrives.
Even though the calling number had been traced, I felt it
was necessary to confirm that all earlier calls were also made from the same
number. This was only possible by reading the digital data tapes of the
Daryaganj Exchange. I was advised by Sunil Saxena, DGM of MTNL, Janpath, to get
in touch with the GM (computers) of MTNL. When contacted, the GM (computers)
acted indifferent and unhelpful. He wanted us to write a letter to him to which
he would respond in a fortnight. All efforts made by my junior officers to
explain the urgency of the matter failed. However, we were not about to give up
that easily. He was given a mild rap on his knuckles and made to understand
that declining a request from the CBI might not be the best thing for him to
do. Consequently, the tapes from the Daryaganj Exchange reached the Computer
Centre in Nehru Place, south Delhi, the very next day, where they were read
electronically. It was confirmed that all earlier calls to Ahmedabad numbers
were indeed made from the same PCO in Jama Masjid. Now we were hot on the trail
of Abdul Latif. In all probability, he would use the same PCO again and,
hopefully, be nabbed when he made the next extortion call to Ahmedabad.
Immediately, an officer from the Gujarat ATS, DSP A.K.
Jadeja, was called. M.K. Bhat, DSP (CBI), and Jadeja together reached
Churiwalan in the Jama Masjid area of Old Delhi, where the calling telephone
number 3281xxx was located. They found it situated in an extremely congested
by-lane and mounting any kind of watch on the PCO was quite out of the
question. Also, conducting any raid in such a crowded area, without involving
the local police, was not at all advisable.
On my request, Arun Bhagat, special director, CBI, spoke to
T.R. Kakkar, the then officiating commissioner of police, Delhi, and requested
him to extend help for a joint operation to be carried out by STF and the
Gujarat Police. Kakkar asked us to get in touch with R. Tewari, additional
commissioner of police (northern range), Delhi Police. Kuldip Sharma and I
called on Tewari on 10 October 1995, who summoned P.N. Aggarwal, DCP (central),
and Arun Kampani, ACP (Daryaganj), to his office. They were senior officers
directly supervising the local police whose assistance we required.
A rough plan of action, basic and simple, prepared by us was
given to the Delhi Police officers. The plan was: arrangements would be made
with the help of MTNL authorities at the Daryaganj Exchange to monitor calls
made from the PCO where the telephone 3281xxx was installed, between 6.30 p.m.
and 10.30 p.m. every day. Two teams would be located with Motorola ultra-high
frequency wireless sets at strategic points close to the PCO, and would
maintain wireless contact with the officers based at the Telephone Exchange.
When a call was placed to the known Ahmedabad number, an officer at the
exchange familiar with Latif.s voice would hopefully be able to identify and
confirm whether the caller was Latif. A wireless message would then be sent
from the Daryaganj Exchange to the two teams located at Churiwalan near the
PCO, who would move in and nab Latif. The plan was accepted and approved by the
officers of the Delhi Police.
K.N. Sharma and I then moved with Aggarwal and Arun Kampani
to Aggarwal.s office, also located in Daryaganj, not very far from the
telephone exchange. Sunil Saxena, DGM, MTNL, Janpath, who had so far been
extremely helpful, was requested to direct the in-charge of the Daryaganj
Exchange to make the necessary arrangements for monitoring all the calls made
from the PCO. Saxena spoke with Raju Sinha, divisional engineer, Daryaganj
Exchange, and gave him clear instructions to assist us.
Meanwhile, Aggarwal and Arun Kampani assembled a team of
twenty of their best officers and men drawn from various police stations of the
district. A video film of a marriage attended by Abdul Latif and his cronies,
namely Rauf, Sharif Khan, Rasool Patti, Sattar Battery and others, part of
Gujarat Police.s dossier on Latif, was shown repeatedly to all those present.
The idea was to familiarize the police officers with the looks and mannerisms
of Latif and his cronies. Audio tapes of the telephonic conversation between
Abdul Latif and the called party in Ahmedabad were also played to the assembled
officers and men so that everyone became familiar with Latif.s voice. A
comprehensive briefing of the plan was given to all those present and ideas, if
any, were invited from those present. The final plan was drawn up with complete
consensus and precision involving everyone as an important player.
Raju Sinha was requested to come over to the office of the
DCP (central), where the entire plan was explained to him. Sinha, an
intelligent and dynamic engineer, laid out, by the standards of the times, a
sophisticated IT set-up in his office. However, he required a special gadget
for listening to calls, which was only available with Malik, GM (vigilance), MTNL.
I spoke to Malik who was kind enough to make the equipment available.
At 6.30 p.m. on 9 October 1995, a team comprising Kuldip
Sharma, H.C. Singh, Arun Kampani, A.K. Jadeja and M.K. Bhat and I reached the
office of Raju Sinha in Daryaganj. Sinha was ready with his telephone
monitoring system comprising two computers linked to the two telephones
installed in the PCO. The telephones were linked to special listening gadgets
designed in such a way that neither the caller nor the person called would get
any indication or hint that his conversation was being heard. Also, if we said
anything into the mouthpiece, it would not be heard by either the caller or the
called person. The gadget had a recording facility as well. Whenever any number
was called from the two PCO numbers, the called number would be displayed on
the video display unit of our computer, giving the name of the city called. One
independent telephone line was kept free for the use of those of us sitting on
watch. Sinha.s set-up had another in-built facility. In the unlikely event of
Latif using the PCO number to make a conference call with the Ahmedabad number,
the calling number and its location would also show on the computer screen. A
separate and dedicated team was available with us at the exchange itself that
would move to that location. Thus, the possibility of Abdul Latif using another
number in Delhi and conferencing through the PCO was also provided for.
However, until 11 p.m. that evening there was no activity of any interest to
us. Even though we dispersed without any positive development that evening, it
was gratifying and reassuring to see that our arrangements were in perfect
order and as good as they could possibly be.
I have delved deep into the technical arrangements, which by
today.s standards may seem rudimentary to law enforcement officers familiar
with this trade, but it was truly state-of-the-art then. The use of computers
and listening gadgets in the early 1990s was not as common as it is now.
Investigators today, fortunately, have access to far better tools of technology
for surveillance, but in those days it was actually a novelty to have the
set-up created by Raju Sinha for our operation. Day 1 passed without any
success.
The next day, arrangements were put in place by 6.30 p.m.,
exactly the way they were the previous day. We were in position at the exchange
waiting to get lucky the second time. At about 8.30 p.m., a call was made from
the PCO to a number in Udaipur, as was reflected on our computer. Since we were
all expecting Latif to call Ahmedabad, we did not take the conversation
seriously in the beginning. It was only after a couple of minutes that Kuldip
became suspicious that it could be Latif on the line. He gave me the headphone.
Since I too had heard Latif.s recorded conversations several times over, I
confirmed Kuldip.s suspicion. He took the headphone back from me and listened
again, more carefully. As the conversation was in progress, he asked Arun
Kampani to send a wireless message to Inspector Raj, ATS, Gujarat, to get
closer to the PCO and report if he observed anything of interest. Kampani moved
one of his two teams as close as possible to the PCO. Kuldip, meanwhile, still
listening to the ongoing conversation, heard the expression ˜Ayeesa kya?. (Is
that so?), used typically by Latif, a fact known to Kuldip. Now Kuldip was
absolutely sure that it was indeed Latif. Our teams were directed on the
wireless to move in.
When Inspector Raj came close to the PCO he saw Latif
face-to-face, sitting in the glass cabin. Raj gestured to the team closest to
him to back him up. It was precisely then that Abdul Latif noticed the Gujarat
Police officer and recognized him. He charged out of the booth. Inspector Raj
blocked Latif and began to grapple with him. Meanwhile, a team led by the
station house officer, Daryaganj, grabbed Latif and overpowered him at
gunpoint. He was physically dragged out of the congested area, for over two
furlongs, in full public view, to a police vehicle and driven to the office of
the ACP, Daryaganj.
We at the exchange were oblivious of what had transpired at
Jama Masjid. There had been no feedback from our officers on the ground which,
we hoped, was a good sign. No news, in all probability, meant good news for us
policemen. There was no point in waiting at the exchange any longer. As we
prepared to leave, a handheld wireless set at the exchange came to life. In a
message that was as garbled as baby talk, we deciphered that Latif had been
caught and brought to the ACP.s office.
We got there in no time. Abdul Latif Abdul Wahab Sheikh
stood before us in flesh and blood. A Gujarat Police officer caught his jaw and
forced his mouth open, revealing his set of stained teeth. A gold front tooth
confirmed his identity. During the brief interrogation that followed, he
admitted that he was indeed Latif.
When I called my special director, Arun Bhagat, his response
said it all. ˜Don.t tell me you have got Latif?. he asked excitedly and
incredulously. ˜We have, sir,. I replied triumphantly. He came to Daryaganj
Police Station immediately to see our precious catch for himself. Wanted in a
number of heinous cases, it was taken for granted that Latif was hiding in
Pakistan, enjoying the hospitality of Dawood et al. and the ISI, beyond the
reach of the Indian law.
Kuldip informed his bosses and his chief minister, Keshubhai
Patel. The catch meant the world to Gujarat. Kuldip had by then decided to take
Latif to Ahmedabad the following morning by a flight that left in the early
hours. The DGP, Gujarat, was keen that I too come along. He spoke with my
special director and requested him to let me travel with the Gujarat Police
team escorting Latif to Ahmedabad.
So there I was, having snatched only a few winks of sleep
that night, with bleary eyes, on the 5.45 a.m. Indian Airlines flight to
Ahmedabad. With me was the triumphant ATS team led by Kuldip Sharma escorting
the elusive Latif, whose time was finally up.
~
M.K. Sinha, DGP, Gujarat, the seniormost cop of the state,
was at Ahmedabad Airport to receive us. Netting Latif was an exceptional event
for Gujarat and the DGP.s presence at the airport was only befitting of the
rare occasion. Warm handshakes, hugs and congratulations were exchanged with
the DGP. Latif was driven to the city in a long cavalcade.
News of his arrest had still not broken and the city was
just about waking up for the day. After a couple of hours the DGP addressed a
press conference, for which I was requested to remain present. When DIG (ATS)
Kuldip Sharma was asked to brief the media on the operational details, he gave
the CBI its due credit and I too featured prominently in the local newspapers
the following day.
I was put up in the VIP room of the circuit house, which is
normally reserved for the CM.s official guests. I was declared a state guest of
sorts, or so it seemed. On the invitation of Keshubhai Patel, Kuldip and I
called on him at his office in the afternoon. He got up from his chair and
greeted me with folded hands, a sign of his gratitude. He said: ˜DIG sahib, we
will never be able to thank you enough for what you have done for Gujarat.. I
was touched by his humility and sincerity.
A celebratory function at the Police Mess followed in the
evening. Most senior officers of the state based in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar
were present. Along with the Gujarat ATS officers I too was felicitated.
Laudatory speeches were made on how it was a red-letter day for the Gujarat
Police. As the ceremony was in progress, messages came in that a ˜victory
procession. taken out by the common people of the city to celebrate Latif.s
arrest had been attacked with bricks and stones when it passed through an area
where Latif had once held sway. There was a possibility of matters taking a
communal turn. A few senior officers in charge of the area, where the incident
of stone pelting had occurred, left the function hurriedly and rushed to the
spot. However, nothing untoward eventually took place.
The following morning I was to take a flight back to Delhi.
After checking in at the airport I was waiting in the departure lounge when a
middle-aged uniformed sub-inspector walked up to me and saluted me. He was
obviously an officer deployed with the airport security. What he told me has
remained with me until today. ˜Sir, you have no idea what you have done for us.
Whenever we would go to arrest a criminal, we would get mocked and jeered at by
the common people.. He continued, ˜Invariably, petty crminals would say: œIf
you cops have the guts, first go and arrest Latif and then come after us. Sir,
with the arrest of Latif, we can now walk with our heads held high.. No other
reward could be better than this comment by a fellow police officer.
Talking of rewards, the Government of Gujarat was gracious
to recognize the contributions made by the Delhi Police and the CBI. Every
participant of the operation received a letter of appreciation and handsome
cash rewards. A formal ceremony was held at Gujarat Bhavan in Delhi to
felicitate us. Even though he had not been in office at the time of the operation,
the new chief minister of Gujarat, Suresh Mehta, especially flew in to Delhi to
recognize the efforts of the two Delhi teams.
~
Latif was investigated for his role in several cases of
murder and extortion, including the Rauf Waliullah case pending with the CBI.
During interrogation, he reportedly provided information on several of the major crimes he has been accused of. but
refused to name any of his political
patrons. There has always been speculation about Latif's links with the Congress(l). and investigating
officers feel that the timing of his
arrest may have given Latif some hope. The upheavals in the BJP Government - which had made t he arrest of
Latif an election promise - have given
rise to speculations of a change in the state's power equations, which could work to the former
don's advantage.
Although Latif's main business interest was said to be
bootlegging, he is also alleged to have
had a hand in receiving and distributing
armssmuggled into the country through villages on the western coast.
It has not yet been established whether
Latif was a conduit for the RDX smuggled
into the country just before the Bombay blasts.
However, he is
alleged to have received a consignment of 47 AK-56 rifles. 300 hand-grenades and 15.000 rounds of ammunition
in 199 3 from the Dubai-based arms
smuggler Mustafa Majnu. a close Dawood aide. Also. Latif is said to have supplied arms to Punjab
terrorists. In the early hours of Saturday, 29 November 1997, two years after
his arrest, he was shot dead by Gujarat Police at the Naroda railway crossing.
Latif was fired upon by the police escort when he was apparently trying to
escape after taking permission to relieve himself.
Politically, he was
extremely well-connected while his popularity among Ahmedabad's lower-income Muslims was an
unquestionable fact. Latif incidentally, was seen as a modern-day Robin Hood by
the underprivileged Muslims of
Ahmedabad. There were numerous instances of
his having given jobs to Muslim youths: he was also known to run a parallel justice system. Among a large
section of the Hindu population,
however, Latif was seen as fiercely communal - it is widely believed that he played a major role in the series of
riots that have plagued the city. Unlike
Dawood. Latif always ensured his criminal associates were predominantly Muslim. Says a Gujarat Police
officer: "There were fireworks in
Hindu areas after his arrest."
A testimony to the potential of police and civil
cooperation, Latif.s arrest showed what synergy can achieve. While the Gujarat
Police provided the initial lead, the STF of the CBI, under my charge, followed
it up with painstaking care and precision. On account of our personal contact
with them, the telephone authorities, at the end of the day, provided excellent
technical support. Displaying exemplary camaraderie, the Delhi Police proved to
be a committed and capable comrade-in-arms. A senior officer of the Gujarat
Police was there himself to identify the voice of the gangster and lead his
team in Delhi. It was a dream operation that brought the curtain down on don
Latif. May he rest in peace!
Reference:
Dial D for Don:
Inside Stories of CBI Case Missions
by Neeraj kumar- the former Commissioner of Police Delhi
