Author: Editorial
Publication: Afternoon Despatch
& Courier
Date: October 2, 2001
The big fish is still at large.
The police have been able to get only the henchmen and hitmen of dons.
The remote control is as active as ever. The dons based in foreign countries
are directing operations in India. It looks like they have been quite successful.
The police seem to have eliminated dozens of criminals, but the situation
continues to be as bad as ever. There have been encounters and the police
have shot down extortionists, jewel thieves and hitmen.
There are however hundreds of desperate
people ready to take their place. A large number of unemployed citizens
move into the underworld and carry out missions of dons based abroad. They
have nothing to lose except their life.
The police are helpless. They are
fully aware of the situation, but they can do precious little about it.
They cannot get at dons enjoying the protection of foreign governments.
Finally the matter goes to the external affairs ministry but it is also
equally helpless. When Pakistan's President Musharraf came to India, the
question of Indian dons operating in Pakistan was taken up, but expectedly
he was unhelpful. He declared that no don wanted by India was staying in
Pakistan. We have however definite evidence Dawood is living in Pakistan
in a big villa and has a luxurious life style. And at his disposal are
all modern communication gadgets which enable him to keep in touch with
his henchmen in India.
It is not just Dawood, but there
are other dons too who live in Pakistan and maybe even in Afghanistan.
They are directing operations freely and successfully. The question of
Pakistan ever agreeing to extradite them does not arise at all. In fact
Pakistan army's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is very happy they are
in Pakistan. The ISI uses them for its operations in India. The dons appear
to have lot of money and evidently they are ready to use it to further
ISI's missions in India.
So long as we do not get the big
fish, the crime situation in cities like Mumbai will not end. Shoot-outs
do not take place often these days and gangwar has also become less. It
cannot be said however the crime situation has improved in Mumbai. Criminals
based abroad and directing operations by remote control have got to be
brought to book. Actually, the dons are involved in cross-border terrorism.
They are holding out a big continuing threat and making life insecure for
millions of people in this country. The Mumbai police have a revealing
picture of the don's operations, the areas they have penetrated, their
modus operandi etc. Frustratingly however, they can do precious little.
