“A helipad in a forest reserve?” asked Sanjay.
“Oh, there is one for the VIPs. We had the crown prince here last month,” Javed answered as he grimaced referring to the scion of India’s most powerful political family.
He made a few calls to his superior officers. Someone called the defence ministry and a team of Air Force officials and a platoon of Air Force engineers were dispatched from a nearby air station to take over the helipad and prepare it for the operations team.
Srinath Cooperative Housing Society, Thakur Village, Kandivali-East, 14 December: 1845 hours
An unmarked white Tata Indigo sedan pulled up at the gate of a multi-storied apartment complex. Inspector Tawade and Sub Inspector Kadam stepped out. There were three towers of twelve stories each. The three towers were along the perimeter of a square park with the entrance gate, the society office and three shops on the fourth side. One was a general store, one a dairy outlet and a beauty clinic. Both men approached the guard house. A few minutes with the old man who wore a security guard’s uniform with ‘Super Security’ embossed on it confirmed that the society supervisor was on the grounds. As soon as he realised that the two men were cops, he gave them the supervisor’s number. Tawade asked him how many entrances and exits each tower had. The guard confirmed that there were three exit points to get out of the building. Meanwhile Kadam called the number and asked the supervisor to come to the administration office immediately. By this time, another white Tata Indigo had pulled up outside the gate. Two more men got out. The coordinates indicated that the transmission had originated in Tower Three. One of the men made a quick call to the HQ and they confirmed that the cell phone was still transmitting though the call had ended. The coordinates continued to indicate Tower Three. Tawade instructed the two newcomers and Kadam to take positions near each of the exit. “Be discreet about it. I don’t want you to be sticking out,” he warned as he went on to meet the supervisor.
Vinod Dev was a portly man of 45 living on the third floor of Tower One with his wife and teenage son. He had a garment shop on the next street. Vinod enjoyed his position of authority in the society. He did his job as a “supervisor” with a lot of enthusiasm. He boasted to the members of the society that he spent more time on society work than in his shop. Some of the cattier ladies agreed. It was during times like these, when he spoke to men of law as an office-holder of the society that he felt even prouder. The terse summons disturbed him. He remembered that he had sent the customary Diwali ‘gift’ to the local thana (police station). He unlocked the society office – a small cabin with a wooden table. Mrs Dev had donated the green tablecloth and the curtains on the window. There were three moulded plastic chairs. Almost immediately, a swarthy, dark-complexioned man came in and without being invited, took a chair. The brusqueness disturbed Dev.
“What can I do for you, sir?” he enquired politely.
Tawade answered, “Do you have a list of the people who live in Tower Three?”
Now who has got into trouble? Dev thought to himself. “Of course I have.” Dev opened the steel cupboard on the left. It was old and squeaky.
“How many flats in Tower Three?” Tawade asked.
“Twelve floors, three flats on each floor except the top and the ground floor. One on top, a penthouse … belongs to the builder … and two on the ground floor … So total 33 three-bedroom apartments,” answered Dev as he flipped through the first page of the register. “Twenty are occupied,” he added helpfully. “What is this about? Could I know?”
Tawade gave him a stern look, and then smiled. “You will know everything. We are looking for terrorists. Tell me, are there any young men who have moved into this building recently?”
Dev thought hard, “There are Amin bhai’s nephew and his friends who are here for ten days. Actually their landlord threw them out. Poor boys, very well-behaved … sixth floor, house No. 601 … study the whole day. No trouble at all.”
Tawade thought quickly, then asked, “Devji, how long have they been here?”
“About a week, maybe ten days, they are to leave next week. Amin bhai promised that not more than ten days.”
“Who is this Amin bhai?”
“Oh, he owns the flat. Has had it for two years … is a travel agent … very well-mannered.” Tawade asked to be excused, got out of the office and called Javed. After a quick conversation he came back into the dingy room.
“Do you have Amin bhai’s address and phone number?” he asked Dev.
“Of course, let me show you,” he opened a Photostat document.
Tawade took out his BlackBerry and took two photographs of the deed and mailed them to Javed. In a few moments he got an MMS. “Devji, is this man among the people who live in Amin’s apartment?”
Dev looked closely, nodded his head and said, “Yes … is this a new NCC uniform? I was at Rajpath in 1990 and would have joined army but my parents would have had a fit….” Dev prattled on.
Tawade smiled patiently, while he looked around the compound and then cut in, “Tower One is right opposite Tower Three. Does 601-window face Tower One?”
Even as Dev answered, two more policemen entered the room. Tawade asked Dev for his cell phone and went out with the two men. The men spoke quietly.
Tawade came back and asked Dev, “We want you to come with us to the apartment in Tower One. Also, who lives in 602 and 603 in Tower Three? And by the way, where are the cars parked?”
Dev knew when there was trouble brewing. “602 is empty, 603 has a couple … both working. Cars are parked in the basement of each tower.”
He offered to call and check if they were at home. Tawade agreed. Dev quickly called from his cell. “No, both are still out … on their way here.”
“Good, let’s go.”
The flat opposite the target was Tower One 602. Tawade realised that it would serve their purpose for surveillance and sniper location. An elderly retired couple lived there. The old man was surprised to see police at his door. Tawade explained a sanitised version of the situation to the old man. After a call from the Commissioner, the old man agreed to take his wife and enjoy a night at a three-star hotel at the government’s expense. Tawade asked them to close all their windows and curtains before leaving. He also took their cell phones and told them that they would not be allowed to get in touch with anyone until further notice. Below, a Maruti Suzuki van with specialised equipment and a three-member from F1 had arrived. In an hour, they had set-up a telescope and cameras with normal as well as infrared vision. At around 2000 hours, the working couple from Tower Three 603 reached the main gate. Tawade spoke to them and explained that he had reason to believe that some gangsters were living in the apartment next to theirs and that they were being sent to Hotel Sea Breeze at the government’s expense until the matter was sorted out. The couple was also asked to keep it quiet to avoid police trouble, a threat that scared every middle-class Indian.
By 2200 hours, under the cover of darkness, two three-man teams installed themselves in the two emptied apartments. A phone call was made to the Command Centre confirming their positions. Using a thermal camera, they had been able to confirm the presence of five men in the apartment. Discreet enquires confirmed that two of the men matched the photographs sent by the RAW team. These were the photographs from the Batala operation. The surveillance specialists settled down. One man in each house took over for night-duty while the others watched TV or slept.
13
INS Hamla: Naval base, Malad, 15 December: 1100 hours
The two combat teams of the SAG and the SRG were billeted in the barracks of a naval unit in the north-western part of Mumbai. The SRG team had been bought from their new home in the city itself, though it was still only partly ready. The Naval base, a logistics-training facility, had transit facilities for 40 men and their equipment. The defence ministry had also arranged for the use of a naval helipad and vehicles along with two Dhruv Naval helicopters. The men were in an isolated part of the base and access was restr
icted through a checkpoint manned by naval police and ratings. The facility had living quarters and a parade ground.
After breakfast, the section leaders were asked to report to a large room, now designated as a conference room. Sanjay, Sukhjeet Singh, Thapa and Javed had driven in early morning. Senior commanders of both organisations had also flown in from Delhi that morning. Also present were the two Army officers who had been brought along for positive identification of Major Shezad.
Sanjay spoke quietly to the police officer as they waited for the section leaders, “Javed, any news of the Amin fellow?”
“Not yet, sir. We have no idea where he has disappeared. His flat in Thane is empty. His neighbours claim he has not been seen since the past two days. We are checking out airports and train terminus cameras. We should have a clue by evening,” Javed answered.
The conversation was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. A naval policeman opened it from the outside. The four section leaders, two each from the SAG and the SRG marched in, saluted and took the empty seats around the table.
Sanjay took up the podium and opened a presentation. He greeted them and went to the first slide. There were three photos on the screen.
“These were taken a few weeks back in a town in occupied Kashmir.” The slide changed again, there were five photographs. All were high-quality close-ups, taken with telephoto lenses.
“These photos have been taken this morning in a flat less than fifteen kilometres away. These are our targets. There are chances that they are heavily armed. The flat they are staying in is owned by a man who may have left the country two days back. We don’t know for sure, but he may have been an ISI sleeper agent. The men have to be eliminated. They will most probably have suicide vests on them. We will start the assault at around 0200 hours tomorrow. The naval team has created a mock-up of the flat in an empty hangar near the helipad. Captains Nair and Ankush will stay with the backup team of the Rangers and will be called in when required for identification. Your combat leaders will now take you through the information we have gathered.”
For the next two hours, the four section commanders went through the videos of the apartment−approach roads, staircases, lifts, even roofs. Layouts were shared and live images transmitted from the apartment via telescopic cameras set-up by the surveillance teams. The team leaders briefed each section commander on the responsibility of their section and communicated their objectives. The attack plans were discussed in detail.
The Rangers would move in once the parameter had been secured by the F1 commandos. They would quietly try and occupy the floors above and below. Snipers would be positioned on roofs and other elevated structures in opposite buildings. Once the area was sealed, the SAG commandos would enter from below and the top by slithering onto the roof from a Dhruv. At the same time a team would rush in from the stairs, where it would be positioned. While the NSG snipers would neutralise any targets visible from the outside, they would stop once the order for SAG to move in was given. The SAG would then rush in and clear each room. If any terrorist is taken alive, he would be evacuated via rooftop by the chopper. The timing of the attack would be coordinated with the team on the Bangladesh border. In case the terrorists tried to leave, the attack would commence immediately. A dragnet was being thrown across the apartment but care was being taken not to alert the terrorists.
Low growls of heavy vehicles pulling into the courtyard below were heard. The section leaders left the building to take their men to the mock-up flat which had been created. Later in the afternoon they were to check out a flat with exactly the same dimensions which had been made by the same builder. 26/11 had taught the security forces a hard lesson.
Sanjay turned to the people who were assembled, “So gentlemen, we will now move back to the headquarters. Around 1800 hours, the teams will leave from here in naval choppers for the helipad in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. They will wait there until they get final orders to move on to the target. As per our plan, the NSG advance party will be driven to the target in police trucks which will already be parked at the helipad, while the SAG chopper party will fly in once they receive the order from Delhi.
Border Security Force (BSF) Forward Operating Base, Indo-Bangladesh Border, 15 December: 0800hrs
Major Tenzig Thampu walked across the helipad towards the mess hall on the other side of the large camp. Thampu had been born in India but he was a Tibetan. His parents had walked across the snow-clad mountains and crossed into India through Nepal in 1973. Once in India, they had made their way to the scenic town of Dharmshala where the Tibetan government in exile was installed under the Dalai Lama. His father was young and strong and came from a warrior clan. Within a few weeks, he found himself being recruited into the SFF. The following year, Tenzig was born. He grew up hearing tales of his kinsmen’s courage, the Khampas, who challenged the Chinese and of the cruelty of the Han Chinese towards the Tibetans. He learned of monks tortured and holy books desecrated. And he swore to be prepared to extract revenge when time came. Every year new waves of refugees came with bigger horror stories of the occupying Chinese. At the age of 12, young Tenzig was sent away to a boarding school for young Tibetans. After his schooling, at the age of 17, he too joined the SFF. His ready wit and intelligence impressed his instructors. With the intervention of a high-ranking Tibetan official, the young man found himself on a train to Pune to join the prestigious NDA at Khadakvasla. After passing out from NDA and the IMA, Tenzig was posted to a 2/6 Gorkha battalion of the Indian Army. After two years in this unit, he was posted to SFF and became one of the few Tibetan officers in the unit.
In a year he found himself posted as the combat team commander in the SG, the commando arm of the force. His combat experience began in Kargil where he led a team of SG commandos into POK so that a qualified artillery fire controller could guide the mighty Bofors to knock out Pakistani artillery guns targeting the national highway. His men had ensured that no Pakistani artillery guns interrupted the fire assault which inundated Tiger Hill before the final assault by the Grenadiers. For his exemplary bravery he had been awarded the Class II Ashoka Chakra. Now he led his own SG contingent. He wished he was leading his men in combat to free his own homeland but he was a soldier and he believed that all Tibetans owed India a debt of blood for sheltering them from the tender mercies of the Chinese. Incidentally he was the only Tibetan member of the SG, now a pan India force.
It was the morning before that they had been flown to Kolkata airfield from where a MI 26 of the 117 Helicopter Unit known as the Himalayan Dragons were at hand to fly them to a forward operating base used by the BSF. His men were happy as this was a sister unit. Most of the SFF men had been trained with the Dragons over the years and the pilots and troopers were comfortable with each other. His men had no idea why they were here. He knew that the operation was expected anytime tonight or early in the morning tomorrow.
“Sir … sir, Tenzig sir!” He looked around and saw his radio operator running towards him.
“Call from Delhi, sir, for you…” Tenzig took the radio set and put it to his ear.
“Tenzig, this is Vikas.” Colonel Vikas Sharma was his Commanding Officer. “Your quarry is preparing to move. We will keep you posted. The plan is on. Get your men ready. And I want the Bangladeshi Mehmood dead or alive. Take his body into custody and bring it back with you to Chakrata.”
Secretary-R had promised his Bangladeshi counterpart a New Year gift. DG-Security wanted to ensure that his boss kept his promise.
DG-Security had just received a report from the team in Bangladesh. His men had logged in that since 0600 hours, activity in the compound had picked up considerably. Vehicles were being prepared and general routine had been disrupted − a sure sign that the column was preparing to move. The DG-Security was promised further updates at 1300 hours.
Tenzig had spent the entire afternoon flying over the area along with the Deputy Inspector General of the BSF (BSF DIG). They had chosen a spot in the jungle near a wadi,
a high ground. The SG would set-up an ambush using the high ground. While his men would engage the terrorists, the BSF would close the escape route from behind, making it impossible for the quarry to double back to Bangladesh.
Tenzig walked into an empty hangar now used as a billet for his men. The sergeant called the men to attention. Tenzig walked down the line of assembled men inspecting them, each in turn. Each man carried his personal Zittara rifle, two spare magazines, four clips of ammunition, four grenades and a Motorola radio set with ear mike for hands-free communication. The Zittara was the Indian-produced version of the Israeli Tavor rifle. A modern bull-pup model, it had been first issued to the SG. The early rifles had some problems, but the new ones the troops had were considered to be among the best in the world. The men were dressed in the standard Indian DPM (Disruptive Pattern Material) camouflage and standard webbing. All the men in the SG wore Kevlar body armour. Tenzig spoke to each of the 12 men in turn and then asked them to stand at ease. Aerial photographs of the area were shared with the men and each was assigned a duty. He was joined a few minutes later by the BSF DIG whose men would secure the parameter, provide heavy weapon support and close the border. The two officers then retired to the mess to discuss further operational details. The Squadron Leader of the Dragons joined them later to close all plans. He had two Dhruvs and an MI 26 for the operation. The Dhruvs also had a 20 calibre machine gun, just in case. After dropping the men, the helicopters would refuel and then hover at high altitude. In case assistance was required, Tenzig could call them in. The BSF party would set up mortars in a clearing 500 metres away and chip in if required. Everything was set. They awaited the orders to mount their flying steeds.
Operation ‘Fox-Hunt’ Page 14