BOMBAY, 5 July 2005 — Underworld sharp shooters of Ravi Pujari gang, yesterday morning fired pistol shots and attempted to kill Bombay’s celeberated Muslim lawyer Majid Memon, who miracously escaped unhurt, thanks to the rapid action of his personal security guard, who returned the fire. News of the incident spread like wildfire in Bombay and the police were put on high alert.
According to Bombay Police Commissioner Anami Roy, two gangsters on a motorbike, fired on the Mitsubishi Lancer car of Memon at 9 a.m., soon after the lawyer had left his residence in Bandra for attending the high court.
The sharp shooters of the underworld missed the target and the bullets hit the right hand rear door of the car. Immediately, the police security guard stepped out of the car and started chasing the culprits.
The guard then fired and injured one of the gangsters, who however succeeded in escaping on the bike. The guard in a statement said that he did not continue the chase of the criminals as Memon was alone, and he feared that other members of the gang might target him.
Soon after the attack, Ravi Pujari called a television reporter and said that he was calling from Australia and claimed responsibility for the attempt to kill Memon. Pujari, a former close aide of another underworld don Chhota Rajan, in a recorded conversation broadcast on a television network, alleged that Memon was an agent of Pakistan’s Inter State Intelligence (ISI), the biggest anti-national and an enemy of the police, who was in the forefront of defending the accused of Bombay bomb blasts.
Pujari repeatedly stated that he was determined to kill Memon and he shall definitely do so, again and again till Memon is killed.
Memon, who is also a former Samajwadi Party politician, has been defending Muslims accused in the Bombay bomb blasts, and handling the Khawaja Yunus murder case, music director Nadeem in the Gulshan Kumar murder case, and the multimillion rupees fake stamp case involving Abdul Karim Telgi.
Memon is also alleged to be on good terms with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim who is accused ofmasterminding the bomb blasts in Bombay in 1992.
City Police Commissioner Roy said that Memon’s life was saved due to the presence of mind of the police guard. Memon, Roy said, was suggested to have police security for him, as his life was in danger, but Memon refused to take the security, insisting that he first be informed about the origin of the threat perception.
Roy said that as a matter of policy, the police couldn’t reveal the names of people who issue the threats, but based on a confirmed intelligence output that there was a definite threat to the life of the lawyer, he was advised to avail the same.
“Taking no chances, we on our own provided a security guard to Memon, who accepted it and did not make any fuss, and it is today because of this guard that his life was saved,” said Roy.
“It is the duty of the police to protect the people and take precautions, and that is exactly what we have done,” said Roy. “A gangster is a gangster and there is no measurement whether one is big or small.”
Bandra Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta said that all possibilities of the offense are being investigated. Sleuths from the Crime Branch are investigating as to who conspired, the identity of the sharp shooters, bullets used in the attack and several other leads.
Refusing to divulge any further information, DCP Gupta said that it was too premature to comment now on the incident. However police sources claim that the police have been able to get some early leads and the accused may be arrested soon.
