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Dawood surprises |
| By: Sunday Midday Team | | Date:
2010-03-28 | | Place: Mumbai | |
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A Sunday MiD DAY khabri decodes the life and work of a khabri or the informer in a new series on underworld gossip
India's most wanted gangster, Dawood Ibrahim, has mastered the art of decimating his enemies using the element of surprise and detailed, destructive research.
A case in point is the audacious daylight gunning down of Amirzada Nawab Khan in court, which tilted the balance of power in Dawood's favour. He knew that taking on the massive Pathan would not be easy -- so he planned to get him killed while in custody.
It was 11.30 am on September 6, 1983. Police sub-inspector Isaque Bagwan had just escorted the dreaded gangster to the Sessions Court in connection with the murder of his arch-rival, Dawood's elder brother, Shabir. Burly Amirzada strode into the prisoner's enclosure, sporting a white T-shirt and blue trousers. Jaffar Jamal Siddique, a close associate, accompanied him.
The lawyers were waiting for Sessions Judge SV Joshi to begin proceedings in the case. The bustle in the court was just settling down, when a 20 year-old youth managed to slip past the police cordon and enter the court.
He walked about 15 steps ahead and took a good look at his target out of the corner of his left eye.
Sub-inspector Bagwan was positioned 12 feet away from him, listening intently to the judge. Suddenly, the youth swiveled 180 degrees and strode back towards the prisoner's enclosure. The swift movement took Amirzada, who was still talking to Siddique, by surprise. The young man then pulled out a .38 caliber revolver from the recesses of his shirt and opened fire from less than five feet. The surprise did Amirzada in; he took three bullets in the chest, stomach and upper neck. While a terrified Siddique buried his face in his palms, the salvo of bullets spread terror in court. People ran for cover. "Stop! Don't run. Stop," yelled Bagwan, from the crime branch.
The assassin managed to circumvent the crowd and was swiftly heading towards the window. Incidentally, he planned to jump from the first floor in a bid to escape the scene of crime.
Bagwan moved swiftly into position and opened fire from his .38 caliber Titan Tiger service revolver to prevent the shooter from escaping. The shot pierced the assassin's right thigh as he straddled the window. He was overpowered and disarmed. Meanwhile, even as Amirzada lay dead in a pool of blood, Siddique managed to escape unhurt. The wounded assassin identified himself as David Pardesi, an unemployed resident of Tilak Nagar, a lower middle-class colony in Chembur.
Dawood had offered a supari to Tilak Nagar-based gangster Rajan Nair alias Bada Rajan, who in turn had hired the little-known Pardesi to execute the task. The operation became an instant legend, immediately changing the underworld equation in Mumbai, and marking Dawood as a genius. The plot had been hatched with minute planning.
Dawood knew taking on the massive Pathan would not be so easy -- so he planned to get him killed while in custody |
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