"Return of the Memons- A Pyrrhic Victory" continues...

Yaqub travelled to Kathmandu on July 21, 1994 by a PIA flight for the second meeting with his cousin. He was booked to return to Karachi on July 24 by Lufthansa. During both the meetings Suresh advised him to exercise self-restraint till Suresh had obtained firm legal opinion supporting Yaqub’s intended move. He required more time to consult trusted lawyers in Mumbai before Yaqub took the plunge. Yaqub took his advice and was returning to Karachi when he was nabbed at Kathmandu Airport.

Yaqub disclosed to us that since he did not reach Karachi on July 24, as scheduled, his family would have known that something had gone horribly wrong with him. They would have fled from Karachi to Dubai post-haste, which indeed they had, as future events would reveal.

When I asked Yaqub whether his family members would be willing to return to India, his reply was in the affirmative. However, they required to be first traced in Dubai, persuaded and convinced that all would be well. Yaqub said that this can only be done by his cousin Suresh. We did not wish to miss out on this chance to get so many absconding accused in one go.

The plan we conceived was simple. We would allow Yaqub to speak to Suresh over phone and request him to come over to Delhi. Once in Delhi, Yaqub would be allowed to meet Suresh in person and request him to go to Dubai, trace the Memon family and persuade them to return to India.

The plan was set in motion and Suresh arrived in Delhi on August 8, three days after Yaqub’s
arrest. Yaqub succeeded in convincing him to undertake the mission even though, initially, for good reason, Suresh was reluctant. He thought he was getting involved in a dangerous mission overlooking the interests of his own wife and children. But, he loved Yaqub so much that he could not turn down his brother’s request. Following extensive consultations with Yaqub, he finally relented and agreed to go along as we had planned.

To be continued...