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

The ISI found the smuggling networks of Bombay ideally suited to implementing their grand plan. Nothing could be better than the Indian smugglers’ existing infrastructure for carrying silver and gold to ship weapons and explosives instead. Also, several members of the smuggling syndicates were both hardened as well as petty criminals, capable of undergoing rigorous training in handling of automatic weapons, making and exploding of bombs etc. Fortunately for the ISI, Bombay-based Indian smugglers Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and Mohammed Dossa were business partners with ISI’s prized assets Taufiq Jalianwala and Syed Arif. Taufiq and Syed were taken into confidence by ISI handlers and instructed to bring Dawood et al on board.

In pursuance of this grand plan, several conspiratorial meetings took place between the Karachi and Bombay smugglers to thrash out finer modalities and details of implementing the conspiracy. One such meeting was at the ‘White House’, Dawood’s Dubai residence on Naif Road, Deira . While Dawood, given his pre-eminent position in the Bombay underworld, was the natural Big Boss of the operation, Tiger was made its chief executioner. Three consignments of arms, ammunition and explosives were landed by the joint teams of Tiger and Mohammed Dossa in January and February, 1993 at Dighi and Shekhadi on the western coast of India, not far from Bombay. Vehicles were procured for making car bombs and men identified to place bombs with timer devices at pre-determined targets. Every member of the implementation team, including Dawood and Tiger, was asked to wait until a final go-ahead from the ISI bosses was received. The ISI was waiting for a major Hindu festival and, in the interim, intended to train more young Muslim boys from other Indian cities and send more weapons and explosive material.

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An unexpected and fortuitous twist in the tale happened when Gul Mohammed, a Tiger acolyte, was arrested by the Crime Branch on March 9, 1993 in a case under Local & Central Acts. Gul was privy to Tiger’s plan and the preparatory work done by him for the final assault. Gul’s arrest made Tiger panic.

To be continued...