The mystery shrouding the March 4 raids on the properties belonging to Iqbal Mirchi's two brothers in Panchgani has deepened with sources confirming that the Mumbai police did look for RDX as well as arms and ammunition in their houses but drew a blank.Local residents, who have finally started talking now, disclosed that on February 28, four days before the raids took place, a helicopter was seen hovering in Panchgani for about 15 minutes. It remained stationary for about four minutes over a small tableland at Khingar village. Villagers say they saw the helicopter but as their village is at the base of the tableland, they failed to see the the object of its inspection.
The deputy superintendent at Satara, Vijay Chavan, however, dismissed the helicopter incident, saying that it had no connection with the raids. Satara District Superintendent of Police Meera Borwankar, who accompanied the raiding party on March 4, also said that she had read about the helicopter only in local newspapers.
Meanwhile,Firoze Merchant alias Memmon, Iqbal Mirchi's younger brother and a hotelier-businessman, has accused the police of causing severe mental trauma to him and his family, including his two school going children. ``The police created a big hulabaloo by bringing in such a large posse of armed personnel, creating an air of panic in the hill station. Finally, they found nothing, and to top it all my image has been tarnished,'' he added.
But Firoze is cautious to the core now, after the incident. He put his foot down against being photographed. ``I would like to maintain a low profile,'' he explained. Secondly, to a series of questions on whether he was planning to lodge a formal protest with the government `for damaging his reputation', he replied in the negative.
Lodging any formal complaint might land him in further trouble, he fears. He says, ``You see, if I rub them on the wrong side, our enemies can always plant something in my properties -- I own open, unguarded land -- and then they will ask the police toconduct a raid again, to frame me.''
When asked about a reported protest lodged by his brother, Aslam, with the State Home Ministry about the police harassment, he said that he was in the dark the matter. ``Aslam returned to Mumbai with the police to help them complete their formalities and I have not been in touch with him,'' he said.
On March 4 a major operation was carried out by Mumbai police aided by their counterparts in Satara. Seven separate properties belonging to narcotic king, Iqbal Mirchi were raided. These include residential and commercial properties of which Firoze Merchant is the caretaker. The raids, which began at 5 am ended at 5 pm. Although Aslam Merchant alias Memmon is a resident of Mumbai he was present in Panchgani on March 4 and later voluntarily accompanied the police to Mumbai.
At the end of the raids which yielded no significantly incriminating or suspicious details, according to Firoze, the officer-in-charge merely apologised, saying ``Sorry, it was our mistake'' andleft.
The panchanamas of the raids clearly state that the police were acting upon ``reliable information'' that RDX and arms were concealed in these properties. Other details of the provocation for the police raids was stated as ``highly confidential and sensitive information''.
As an interesting fallout of this sensational, though unproductive, crackdown by the Mumbai Police on the Mirchi households, the 45-odd residential schools which have about 5,000 students residing in Panchgani, mostly boarders, had parents from all over the country making frantic calls to the school principals.
However, with final examinations just a few weeks away, worried parents did not take back their children home, it is reported.
One mother who has been traumatised by this episode is Parveen Firoze Merchant, wife of Firoze. She stated: ``My son, Harshad is studying in Std IX and ever since these raids, he is being looked at suspiciously by his peers. My daughter who is in Std V also has sleepless nights. Our objective isto serve the people here, which we have been doing silently, so why should we suffer like this? Our children are our greatest wealth and when they are disturbed, it hurts us.''
Mohammed Rafiq Shaikh, a Mumbai-based social worker and national president of `New Rashtriya Ekta Manch' who recently went around the country ``to foster nationalistic integration'' and ensure release of all Muslim interns in Maharashtra jailed under TADA, claimed that the Mirchi alias Merchant alias Memmon family was being persecuted merely for the faith they follow, and the authorities have so far not found any incriminating evidence even against their London-based eldest brother, Iqbal Mirchi.
Firoze Merchant alias Memmon came to Panchgani 12 years ago. What was he doing earlier? ``In Mumbai, in the hotel line,'' he said vaguely. Why did they migrate to Panchgani? Informed Parveen, ``We wanted to give our children the best education, in beautiful surroundings.'' But Panchgani is famous for its boarding schools, why shouldparents move in? ``We wanted to personally oversee their education,'' she answered.
What about the assortment of their surnames - Merchant, Memmon and Mirchi? Firoze explained, ``Memmon is our community name, Merchant because we are in the business line and Mirchi because we have been in the chillies' trade since the time of our forefathers. Besides, we have been doing our business quietly in this tranquil atmosphere ever since we moved in. We have also scrupulously kept off the local politics. We are peace-loving people and do not like any controversies. Even the questioning in 1993 (after the Mumbai blasts) was done in a dignified manner by the police. We were questioned probably because our surname is Memmon. But there were no searches and raids then, mind you. Our reputation remained untarnished. Now this is another story.''
Startling revelations
The police raids conducted on the eight properties belonging to the Merchant alias Memmon alias Mirchi family members in and around Panchgani onMarch 4 provide some startling revelations.
The panchas or the official witnesses as they are called, comprise mostly labourers and traders. The properties include residential premises, commercial outfits, farmhouses and open fields. In four panchanamas, most witnesses clearly mention that the police were hunting for consignments of RDX and arms ammunition.
Interestingly, raid at a flat in Sai Prasad Colony in Panchgani, according to the panchas, could not be carried out, since it was locked for two months and the raiding party `did not have the keys.'
None of the properties are directly owned by Iqbal Mirchi. Most of the ownership is that of resident-brother Firoze and that of another brother Aslam, who owns one of the properties and has a share in two others. A farmhouse located at Metgutad near Mahabaleshwar is stated to belong to Hazra Iqbal Memmon whom Firoze referred to as bhabhi.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
