Kandahar Hijack: Was Balasaheb the target of terrorists, how did Mumbai Police solve the kidnapping case?

New Delhi: With the release of the web series ‘IC 814 The Kandahar Hijack’ on Netflix, the wounds that had been healed by time have become fresh again. At the same time, this web series has also raised questions on the then government and intelligence agencies of the country. Now for the first time, the whole story of how the Mumbai Police and Crime Branch solved this case has come before the world. This was one of the best investigations done by any police department in the world. Let us know how this case got revealed layer by layer.

The Indian Express has published a report from the upcoming book ‘Brahmastra’ by retired Maharashtra DGP D Sivanandan that the police got suspicious about currency exchange in the hotel due to the hint received by Hemant Karkare. When some arrests were made in the case, the whole matter was revealed. D. Sivanandan was leading this operation. According to the excerpt from the book published in the Express- ‘On 24 December 1999, Indian Airlines flight IC814 from Kathmandu to New Delhi was hijacked just 30 minutes after takeoff from Kathmandu Airport in Nepal. As soon as the authorities came to know about the hijacking, a high alert was issued across the country. At that time, I was posted as Joint Commissioner of Police in Mumbai Police and was the Chief of Mumbai Crime Branch. I was informed about this incident by my boss and Mumbai Police Commissioner R H Mendonca and asked to put the entire Crime Branch on high alert. All of us were watching the events with bated breath.’

Was Balasaheb Thackeray the target?

After the incident, Mumbai Police and Crime Branch became very active. After the raid, the police also recovered the map of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray’s house ‘Matoshree’ from where the terrorists were arrested. In his/her book, he/she says- ‘The raid was done with such precision that the terrorists did not get even a moment to react. The entire team attacked them like an eagle catches its prey and in a short time the terrorists were controlled and arrested.’

One out of five terrorists is a Hindu

According to the book, the five terrorists who were arrested by the police were identified as Rafiq Mohammed (age 34), Abdul Latif Adani Patel (age 34), Mustaq Ahmed Azmi (age 45), Mohammad Asif alias Bablu (age 25), Gopal Singh Bahadur Maan (age 38). That is, one terrorist was a Hindu. A huge cache of arms and ammunition including two AK-56 assault rifles, five hand grenades, anti-tank TNT rocket launcher, shells and three detonators and explosives, six pistols, a huge stock of ammunition and Rs 1,72,000 in cash were recovered from the room. The terrorists intended to blow up Mumbai.

The whole matter was revealed like this

According to the excerpt published in the book, ‘The day after the kidnapping was Christmas Day, December 25, I was in my office located in Mumbai Police Headquarters in Crawford Market, when an unknown guest came to me at around 11 am. It was Maharashtra cadre IPS officer Hemant Karkare, who was then posted in the Mumbai office of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). I immediately knew that this was a special meeting. Hemant Karkare told me that RAW has acquired a phone number which is in Mumbai and is in constant contact with a phone number in Pakistan. After this, the work started after forming teams.

‘The caller was a Jaish terrorist’

The mobile number was put on surveillance. On 28 December 1999, around 6 pm, a hope appeared. The team found a caller from Mumbai calling his/her handler in Pakistan and telling him/her that he/she was running out of cash and needed money urgently. The caller was a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist from Pakistan. The Jaish terrorist told his/her partner in Mumbai that they had arranged for Rs 1 lakh which would be sent through hawala. The police found out the Basheerbagh area where the terrorists were hiding.