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A Sunday MiD DAY khabri decodes the life and work of a khabri or the informer in the first of a new series on underworld gossip
 "Dawood Ibrahim is unwell. He has just undergone a heart surgery but is out of danger. The Anaconda shall be with his family soon," read the SMS forward by one of the the thousands of khabris or "zeros" as they are known in Mumbai's underworld.
Initially, senior police officers discounted tip-offs from these informers. But over the year, khabris have turned into the backbone of the police force, assisting them in important operations across the country.
The code name Zero refers to an informer in Dawood Ibrahim's stronghold Dongri and adjoining areas. Goodman is another popular name for an informer. When someone praises an informer, calling him a "goodman", in typical Indian gesturing, he touches his thumb to his coiled index finger making it look like a zero. hence, the name.
Like the police, gangs too operate on khabris' tip offs. Dawood was desperate to avenge the death of his brother-in-law Ibrahim Parkar, who was killed at Nagpada on July 27, 1992. He knew the shooters were Sailesh Haldankar and Bipin Shere of the rival Arun Gawli gang. He was not aware of their whereabouts, when a khabri gave him a 'cutting' that they were in J J Hospital ward number 18. The don knew that the duo would escape once they were released and killing them in prison could get sticky.
Dawood deployed Subash Singh Thakur and Sunil Sawant to eliminate the Gawli men. They barged into the ward with AK 47 assault rifles and went on a shooting spree.
Rival Chhota Rajan worked on specific information too when he planned to bump off Sharad Shetty alias Bada Idli in Dubai on January 17, 2001. Rajan's khabris kept tabs on Shetty's movement at India Club in Dubai. Four gunmen were hired to bring him down and Dawood's betting empire collapsed with his fall.
An experienced encounter specialist, Rakesh Maria once remarked in a candid conversation, "You have to treat them (khabris) as you would treat your wife."
Like the intelligence, khabris form an integral part of any covert or overt operation. Khabris place their lives on the edge jumping the fine line between gangs and the law. The police use khabris extensively to get information on criminals. The gangsters use them to gather dope on cops. 'You can't remain in the water and antagonise the crocodile' says a common adage that is the closest to reality when describing the life of a khabri; they take on the sharks just so that they can eke out a living.
There are few buyers for services provided by khabris. It is only a gangster or policeman who would be interested in buying 'bad' news, leaving very few options for most informers. A khabri often puts his life at risk just to earn a few hundreds. Khabris generally get killed either by policemen or gangsters, depending on who they have offended.
Many get killed for violating the 'Code of Silence'. One loose word could also result in the death of an informer.
Perhaps it is the same thrill of living dangerously and the fear of getting killed any moment, that keeps them going.
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