Books
Zero Day
It is their first brush with cyberterrorism: a zero-day vulnerability in the Indian government’s system that could bring the country to its knees. Racing against time and investigating a case unlike any other, in Zero Day, Mirza and Vikrant face the most dangerous mission of their lives.
Life In The Uniform
About The Book
Amit Lodha is a decorated IPS officer holding the rank of inspector general. But before he rose the ranks in the service, he was an IIT graduate who was struggling to find his true purpose. In this book, Lodha tells us how he turned his life around and studied for the UPSC exams. He also tells us how he trained to be an officer and had the most memorable beginning to his career, in Bihar.
Punctuated with his signature humour and adventure-packed stories on everything from solving a kidnapping to handling a mob, Life in the Uniform gives us a chance to experience an IPS officer’s life through his own eyes.
The War That Made R&AW
‘Knowledge is power, and the proverb holds true for intelligence agencies more than any other entity.’
Two events in the 1960s underlined the urgent need to restructure and revitalize India’s intelligence system: the 1962 war against China, and the one against Pakistan in 1965, both shocking instances of failures in information gathering. The officer who would be given charge of this task was RN Kao — someone as unlike romanticized ideals of spies in films and novels as possible.
The founder-chief of India’s Research and Analysis Wing lived and operated from the shadows. Understated and gentlemanly, he may not have looked the part, but Kao undoubtedly put Indian Intelligence on the world map. In this riveting book, authors Anusha Nandakumar and Sandeep Saket trace the roots of modern Indian espionage, and describe the newly formed R & AW’s integral role in the liberation of Bangladesh.
Kao had one goal, to build an intelligence-gathering agency that would ensure the security and integrity of India. And eventually, the legend of the ‘Kaoboys’ — the nickname given to the team he built — would spread far and wide. This is the compelling tale of how it started; of covert operations, courage and quick thinking; and of how wars are won as much off the battlefield as on it.
Headley and I
Headley and I
When a weird looking foreigner with two different eye colour befriends Rahul Bhatt, the embittered son of Bollywood movie Moghul, Mahesh Bhatt, the gullible young man is almost drawn to him under the assumption that David Headley is just another American. It took the 2009 Mumbai attack to reveal that David Headley was really Daood Gilani who had scoured and secured the targets for the fidayeen terrorists. Rahul Bhatt suddenly finds himself as a person of interest as intelligence agencies pick him up for sustained interrogation.
Eleventh Hour
The Eleventh Hour
Introducing India’s most intrepid intelligence officers Vikrant Singh and Shahawaz Ali Mirza who thwart a dreaded terrorist from leaking secrets from a naval server in Lakshwadeep. From From jail break in Bhopal to high octane action in Maharashtra, the book keeps the readers on their toes.
The Phoenix
Bilal Siddiqi is a novelist and screenwriter based in Mumbai. He is the author of The Stardust Affair, The Kiss of Life (co-written with actor Emraan Hashmi) and The Bard of Blood, a spy novel which he wrote when he was nineteen and which was adapted by Red Chillies Entertainment into a Netflix show. Siddiqi was also the creator of this show and worked on the screenplay. The Phoenix is his fourth book.
The Phoenix tells a dystopian tale of espionage and global terror, of sleeper cells and double agents, of biological warfare and suicide attacks. But at its heart there’s a message of hope and one man’s love for his family and country.
Six Minutes of Terror
Six Minutes of Terror: The Untold Story of the 7/11 Mumbai Train Blasts
The Mumbai 7/11 train bombings in 2006 were one of the deadliest terror attacks the city had seen after the 1993 blast. The attacks orchestrated by the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s Inter- Services Intelligence (the ISI) were aimed to cripple the city by attacking its lifeline – the local train. A series of seven blasts in a span of only six minutes rocked the city at seven railway stations, killing 189 and injuring over 700. Six Minutes of Terror is the first investigative book that will present a blow by blow account of the events that led to the terrorist attack, profile the people involved in the blasts as well as describe how the plot was unearthed by the police.
Superbly researched, with painstaking detail, the book tries to delve into the minds of the homegrown terrorists who created unprecedented havoc and claimed innocent lives ten years after the horrifying attacks.
Sharmeen Hakim is a legal correspondent with Mumbai Mirror, known for her impeccable court reporting and her law background.
Nazia Sayed is a crime reporter for over a decade now, with experience in television and print journalism. Currently working as a special correspondent with Mumbai Mirror, she is easily rated among the top crime journalists in the city.
Quantum Siege
AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK
A LOOMING THREAT
This is the endgame.The terror group Lashkar has directly threatened the prime minister of India with ‘never before’ consequences, if referendum is not declared in Kashmir immediately.The UN Security Council has called for an emergency session scheduled to meet within two days to discuss the Kashmir crisis.
Rudra Pratap Singh and his team at the Anti – Terror Cell face their toughest challenge yet.Millions of innocent lives are at stake while India readies itself for a war, the terrorists ‘ threat is about to actualize, and time is running out. Will they be able to neutralize the threat, trace the perpetrators and avert a war?
Set in the heart of a metropolis, this diabolical thriller will consume you in its labyrinthine madness.
Brijesh Singh is an officer of the elite Indian Police Service and is presently erving as an Additional Commissioner with Mumbai Police. When not being a cop, he entertains those lucky few with his poetry and philosophy accompanied with scrumptious meals he now has become infamous for cooking.
My Name is Abu Salem
My Name is Abu Salem
In the mid and late nineties, as two leading mafia gangs are busy involved in an internecine warfare on streets of Mumbai, a novice from Azamgarh steps into the picture to make his place in the mafia sun. He makes Mumbai his home and succeeds in wooing an actress, Monica Bedi, who leaves the world of glitz and glamour to follow him to Portugal. Abu Salem’s wings were however clipped when the Indian government caught up with him.
Murder in Bollywood
Someone at this table has killed before, and someone at this table will kill again.’ Nikhil Kapoor, Bollywood’s biggest film director, made this shocking proclamation to his friends one night. Sameer Ali Khan, Bollywood’s badshah, seethed with rage. Nyra Oberoi, filmdom’s queenin- waiting, turned her face away. Ishan Malhotra, producer extraordinaire, laughed out loud, while Kiki Fernandez, dress designer to the stars, looked afraid. Two nights later, both Nikhil and his wife, leading actress Mallika Kapoor, were found dead. It is up to Senior Inspector Hoshiyar Khan to solve the puzzle.
Shadaab Amjad Khan is a Bollywood actor and scriptwriter by profession, hailing from one of the oldest film families in the country, with its most famous member being his father, the late actor Amjad Khan. Shadaab made his acting debut with the film Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat, after which he starred in several films, while also working behind the scenes as a scriptwriter, before finally moving on to his long cherished dream of turning a novelist. Shadaab lives in Mumbai with his wife, Rumana, and is planning to make his directorial debut soon.
Kidnapped
In 2016, approximately ten people were abducted every hour in India. Of them, six were children. Kidnapping is a crime where it is possibility to save the victim, which makes its treatment and results unique. Documenting ten cases of child abduction from across the country, Arita Sarkar investigates the bone-chilling details of the disappearance of each child. She delves into the trauma that the victims’ families went through, as they waited in the hope that their children would return.
This book brings to life investigations by the police, eyewitness accounts and the perspectives of the accused, recreating each case in painstaking detail.Some of the victims you read about will never come home, but their stories will stay with you.
Arita Sarkar is a journalist based out of Mumbai. Since 2011, she has been a reporter at The Hindu, Mumbai Mirror, the Indian Express and Mid-Day. Her interest in cases concerning the Juvenile Justice Act, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and child rehabilitation led her to research and write a book about the widespread kidnapping of children in India.
After completing her schooling from the American International School/Dhaka, she graduated from Delhi University with a degree in English literature and later attended the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. Apart from being a writer, she is an ardent lover of music and food and loves to dabble in a bit of both.
Ghalib Danger
The first novel from Neeraj Pandey, Ghalib Danger takes us on a journey of the Mumbai Underworld in a fast-paced tale.
The chief protagonist of the book is a cocky young taxi driver in the city of Mumbai called Kamran Ali. Like most others in the city, he dreams of making it big some day. But his life takes a turn for the worse when by accident, he saves the life of an underworld don Mirza. He is indebted to Kamran for his timely intervention and as an act of gratitude, decides to take him under his wings. Kamran’s life transforms completely as he embraces guns and bullets. He gets drawn into the don’s ugly and murky world of cops and rival gangsters.
Kamran inherits the don’s empire eventually and along with it, he also inherits one of his traits. This trait happens to be the don’s belief that the solution to every problem lies in Ghalib’s poetry. Kamran finds great solace in poetry and Ghalib’s work keeps him from going insane. Because of this, Kamran gets a new nickname. As he is rising to the top of the gang, he has cops, politicians and many others on tenterhooks. Soon, he becomes the city’s most-feared gangster with a poetic name, Ghalib Danger.
Neeraj Pandey is a critically-acclaimed Indian director. His film A Wednesday won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director. He also won a lot of praise for his film, Special 26, which he directed in 2013. He hails from a Brahmin Bihari family and grew up in Kolkata. In 2013, he launched his first book, Ghalib Danger.
Fitness Secrets of the Stars
Ever wondered how Farhan Akhtar trained to play a professional athlete in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, or what diet plan Aamir Khan followed to maintain those rock-hard abs in Dhoom 3? If yes, this is the book for you. Veteran journalists Ram Kamal Mukherjee and Devyani Ghosh interview the fitness trainers behind the amazing physiques of Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Bipasha Basu, Farhan Akhtar, Tiger Shroff, Priyanka Chopra, Varun Dhawan, Sonu Sood and Dev.
With detailed daily workouts, diets and plans followed by these actors for specific roles, this book will show you how to get in shape like your favourite movie star. The authors also provide a peek into each star’s fitness philosophy along with interesting personal anecdotes and the ways in which they motivate themselves to not only achieve great bodies but also maintain them. Whether you’re just starting your fitness journey or looking to ramp it up a notch, this book is sure to help you look like a star.
Born in Kolkata, Ram Kamal Mukherjee started his career as a film journalist twenty years ago with the Asian Age. Later, he shifted base to Mumbai and worked with publications such as Stardust, Mumbai Mirror (the Times of India Group), Mid-Day, Anandabazar Patrika and the TV18 group. He headed Stardust- India’s leading film magazine-as its editor-in-chief. He also has a popular Sunday column-‘Ram Katha’-in Mumbai Mirror, and has hosted the Bengali chat show Talk Bangla, which featured thirteen Bollywood celebrities. In 2005, Ram authored a coffee-table book on Hema Malini, Diva Unveiled. He was the vice president of Pritish Nandy Communications for over a dozen feature films. He co-produced the Hindi TV show Bin Kuch Kahe for Zee TV in 2016, and published his first work of fiction, Long Island Iced Tea, in the same year. His authorized biography of Bollywood’s legendary actress Hema Malini, Beyond the Dream Girl, has fetched him national and international accolades.
Devyani G. Ghosh’s interest in writing goes way back to her schooldays in Baghdad International School, Iraq, where she won a prize in a prestigious international essay contest in the tenth grade. The scholarship money from the contest funded her English (honours) education in Presidency College, Kolkata. During her last year in college she interned at the Asian Age and discovered that journalism was her calling. Working at the Indian Express in Mumbai and, later, being the Mumbai correspondent for the Pioneer, Delhi, brought her into close contact with the world of Bollywood, as did a short stint as an interviewer with Zee Music.
Dangerous Mind
Dangerous Minds
What makes terrorists so deadly? Are they brain washed or wrongly wired? These eight profiles of homegrown terrorists will debunk you of the notion about terrorists being trained in some jungles. Some of these men lead very ordinary and simple lives but for years they had been leading a double life with their subversive actions.
Bihar Diaries
Bihar Diaries narrates the thrilling account of how Amit Lodha arrested Samant Pratap, one of Bihar’s most feared ganglords, notorious for extortion, kidnapping and the massacre of scores of people. The book follows the adrenaline-fuelled chase that took place across three states during Amit’s tenure as superintendent of police of Shekhpura, a sleepy mofussil town in Bihar.
How does Amit navigate between his many professional challenges and conquer his demons? What does he do when the gangland comes after his family? Bihar Diaries captures vividly the battle of nerves between a dreaded outlaw and a young, urbane IPS officer.
Amit Lodha is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer presently holding the rank of inspector general (IG) of police. Over the course of his career, he has been a part of a number of successful operations, including the arrest of gangsters and rescue of kidnap victims. He has been awarded the prestigious President’ s Police Medal for Meritorious Service, the Police Medal for Gallantry and the Internal Security Medal for his work. Amit enjoys playing tennis and squash, and is an ardent fan of Kishore Kumar. He regularly writes for the Times of India blog. He can be reached on Facebook and Twitter.
A Convenient Culprit
Ace crime journalist Joy Dutta is killed, and his arch rival, Jagruti Verma, is accused of using her alleged connection with the dreaded don Chikna Ramu to commit the murder.
Their mentor and ex-boss, Ammar Aney, whose exposés had earned him the respect of his fraternity, and whose enemies had conspired to destroy his personal and professional life, is
forced out of retirement to get justice for both Joy and Jagruti. As he delves deeper, Aney realizes that the culprits and their motives are more dangerous than he could have ever imagined.
Movies
Mafia Queens Of Mumbai
About
Mafia Queens Of Mumbai
Stories of women from the ganglands
Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of women from the ganglands is an Indian 2011 non-fiction crime novel written by Hussain Zaidi with original research by reporter Jane Borges. It tells 13 true stories of women who were involved in criminal activities in Mumbai.
The Mumbai underworld, or the Mumbai Mafia is as much a part of the city as Bollywood is, and as much a stuff of legends. The well known stories from this murky world are all male-centric. Haji Mastan, Dawood Ibrahim, Varadarajan Mudaliar, and Karim Lala, to name a few.
But, there were women who ruled the roost there too, women who remained in the background and pulled the strings, women who acted as mentors and advisers to the famous dons, women who were wives of the dons and then took over when their husbands were killed, women who assumed leadership to try and bring down rival leaders who had harmed their family.
Their stories are varied and just as intriguing, and hitherto untold. But these stories are well known in the ganglands of Mumbai. This book now brings together a set of stories about interesting and powerful female leaders of the Mumbai underworld.
There is the story of Gangubhai, a girl who ran away from a small village and ended up in Mumbai streets and eventually became the powerful matriarch of Kamathipura, Mumbai’s red light area.
Ashraf, who learnt of her husband’s underworld connection only after he was killed, transformed herself into the powerful Sapna Didi, to try and take down her husband’s killer.
Mrs. Paul and Rubina Sayyed, associates of Chota Shakeel, Tarannum Khan, a bar dancer who became rich through cricket betting, and more such stories.
But, the most intriguing story is probably about the very powerful Jenabhai, who was closely associated with many underworld dons like Haji Mastan, Varadarajan Mudaliar, Dawood Ibrahim etc, and advised them on various matters and helped in shaping important events in the underworld.
Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia
About
Dongri to Dubai:
Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia
Describing the roots of the Mumbai Mafia and its genesis into what it has become today, the book revolves around the life of Dawood Ibrahim. Some of the other gangsters that share the spotlight with Dawood in the book are Chhota Rajan, Karim Lala, Abu Salem, Haji Mastan and Varadarajan Mudaliar. The stories of each of these hooligans have been detailed along with the list of their illegal actions.
Talking about the Mumbai mafia’s history through the last six decades, the book takes a deep plunge into the life of the most famous goon in the nation, Dawood. His story from his days in Dongri, Mumbai to his rise to becoming the international terrorist that is known as today has been described. Dawood’s craving for power, his unaltered focus and his astute mind and tactics have been discussed along with the descriptions of his first robbery, his youth and his love affairs.
Political connections and international links have been scrutinized in this book along with some unknown facts, unreported crimes, events and stories that have not been covered before. The book was also adapted into a Bollywood movie and is available in paperback.
The Endgame
The Endgame
About the book
It’s been three years since Shahwaz Ali Mirza and Vikrant Singh foiled dreaded terrorist Munafiq’s attempt to leak State secrets from a naval server in Lakshadweep. Now posted with RAW, they have the task of providing security for BSF Special Director General Somesh Kumar, on his way to visit former Prime Minister Parmeshwar Naidu, who has been hospitalized after a car accident. However, Kumar’s convoy is attacked by terrorists. They manage to kill him before being gunned down themselves. A tip-off leads the duo to a hotel on Mira Road where the prime suspect, Al Muqadam, is hiding. Vikrant recognizes him as Ayyub, the brother of one of his long-time informants, Mazhar Khan. Just when it looks like things can’t get more difficult, Major Daniel Fernando gets in touch claiming that there is more to Naidu’s accident than meets the eye. Soon, the entire team from the Lakshadweep operation finds itself getting together for a new mission…
The Bhais of Bengaluru
A peek into Bengaluru’s underworld.
For years, organized crime in Bengaluru has been dominated by shrewd and notorious dons who grew from small-time extortionists to dreaded names in the real estate circles. In Bhais of Bengaluru, Jyoti Shelar explores this mysterious and fascinating underbelly of India’s Garden City.
For years, organized crime in Bengaluru has been dominated by shrewd and notorious dons who grew from small-time extortionists to dreaded names in the real estate circles. In Bhais of Bengaluru, Jyoti Shelar explores this mysterious and fascinating underbelly of India’s Garden City.
The Anatomy of Sting
Bhupen Patel has conducted many undercover operations over the course of his career. He’s exposed all sorts of rackets, from mental asylums admitting patients without proper medical examinations to discovering an illegal network of agents that arrange ‘temporary ‘ wives for Arab men looking to have a short fling. This book recounts in detail some of his most dramatic and hard-hitting stings. Patel takes us through the entire process of a sting and reveals the amount of hard work it takes to not just uncover a story that requires further discreet investigation but also gather enough evidence to bring it to the notice of the public and authorities concerned. Each account will keep you on the edge of your seat and allow a glimpse into the life of an investigative journalist.
Bhupen Patel is a journalist with nearly two decades of experience at Mid-Day, Mumbai Mirror and NDTV. He now heads the crime-reporting team at Mid-Day.
Me against The Mumbai Underworld
On some days, you are no less than Sherlock Holmes. But on others, you are just a regular policeman on bundobast duty.
Me against the Mumbai Underworld is the story of Isaque Bagwan, three-time recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry and a small-town boy who pursued his big-city dreams and ambitions as an upright police officer. Bagwan, who is credited with carrying out the first encounter in the history of Mumbai Police, was witness to several of the city’s defining moments-the 1980s when smuggling was at an all- time high, the blasts that tore through Bombay in the ’90s, the gang wars that marked the city, and the devastating 26/11 terror attack. His life, which has captured the imagination of many writers and filmmakers, is presented here with all its gut-wrenching details.
Isaque Ibrahim Bagwan retired as an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in May 2009 after serving in Mumbai Police for over thirty-five years. He was awarded the prestigious President’s Police Medal for Gallantry thrice. As per Mumbai Police records, he is the first officer from the force to have killed a criminal in an encounter. He is also the first police officer to shoot at and apprehend a criminal during proceedings in a sessions court in Mumbai.
Bagwan was also praised for his quick thinking and valour, which saved hundreds of lives, by the Pradhan Committee Report that looked into the 26/11 terror attack. He had taken charge of Nariman House during the deadly attack and restricted the terrorists’ movements for over sixteen hours with just twelve men. He also assisted in ensuring the safety of people in the buildings around Nariman House until NSG commandos arrived.
ESCAPED
About
ESCAPED : True Stories of Indian Fugitives in London
LONDON CALLING
London has emerged as a safe haven for those who want to escape the law in India. Through eyewitness accounts and archival records, DANISH KHAN and RUHI KHAN delve into twelve extraordinary cases of extradition over seven decades to unravel the legal quagmire that has caused much debate in Her Majesty’s courts, and consternation in New Delhi’s corridors of power.
Escaped examines the extradition of billionaire VIJAY MALLYA and diamantaire NIRAV MODI, throws a spotlight on their ultra-luxe world, uncovers the complex ownership of their UK assets and brings to life the intense courtroom battles. The book also chronicles the saga of cricket bookie SANJEEV CHAWLA, now dispatched to India, and that of music director NADEEM SAIFI, who has been exonerated but can never return home. It explores how drug lord IQBAL MIRCHI and terror accused HANIF PATEL evaded extradition, and investigates the loopholes that saved convicted paedophile RAYMOND VARLEY and NRI parents ARTI DHIR and KAVAL RAIJADA, accused of murdering their adopted child. The book reveals the inside story of how RAVI SHANKARAN, the alleged spy, was set free, and how the famed NARANG BROTHERS were snagged for trading in stolen Indian artefacts. Taking a trip through history, the book recounts how a newly independent India managed to bring back two powerful industrialists, DHARMA JAYANTI TEJA and MUBARAK ALI AHMED, who were involved in financial crimes.
Escaped decodes why London is an irresistible siren for Indian fugitives.
Khaki Files
December 13, 2001: Pak-based terrorists carry out an audacious attack on the Indian Parliament killing eight security personnel and a gardener; all five terrorists are killed in their gun-battle with policemen deployed at the citadel of Indian democracy; the case is solved and all accused arrested within 72 hours.
December 16, 2012: a 23-year-old physiotherapist is brutally gang raped in a moving bus in Delhi; the case is cracked within five days despite the lack of initial leads; a head constable loses his life in the line of duty during riots that follow the dastardly crime.
In Khaki Files, Neeraj Kumar, a former Delhi Police Commissioner revisits many such high profile police cases of his career —from investigation of one of the biggest lottery frauds in the country to foiled ISI attempt to kill Tarun Tejpal and Anirudh Behal of Tehalka—bringing to light numerous achievements of the country’s police force, otherwise largely reviled and ridiculed
Neeraj Kumar is the former Commissioner of Police, Delhi, and the author of Dial D for Don: Inside Stories of CBI Missions.
Neeraj Kumar is the former Commissioner of Police, Delhi, and the author of Dial D for Don: Inside Stories of CBI Missions.
Dawood’s Mentor
About Dawood’s Mentor
Tired of being bullied, a scrawny, impoverished Dawood Ibrahim is looking for a saviour, Khalid Khan Bachcha, who would teach him the ropes of handling a bunch of hooligans. Instead, what he gets is a mentor who eventually transforms him into a cunning mafia boss.
In Dawood’s Mentor, Dawood meets Khalid and they eventually forge an unlikely friendship. Together they defeat, crush and neutralize every mafia gang in Mumbai. Khalid lays the foundation for the D-Gang as Dawood goes on to establish a crime syndicate like no other and becomes India’s most wanted criminal.
The Class of 83
About the book
At a time when Mumbai was plagued by underworld gangsters like Dawood Ibrahim, Iqbal Kaskar and Chhota Rajan, the batch of 1983 from the Police Training School (PTC) in Nashik-trained by the legendary Arvind Inamdar-produced a group of prominent encounter specialists who have been credited with bringing back the rule of law in the city.
Famed even within this batch, trigger-happy senior police inspector Pradeep Sharma understood that to save the city from the clutches of the underworld, he would need to dilute rival gangs. The Class of 83 delves deep into the most famous (or infamous) encounters conducted by Sharma and his batch mates. Pradeep Sharma was arrested by the same department he had served for two-and-a-half decades. He faced the ignominy of jail, clubbed in the same cell as the criminals he had arrested. However, he fought for his honour, was acquitted and reinstated into service.
In The Class of 83, S. Hussain Zaidi presents a one-of-a-kind story of a policeman’s triumphs, struggles and redemption.
Black friday
About the book
On the afternoon of 12 March 1993, a series of explosions cut a swathe of terror and destruction through Bombay. The toll: 257 killed or missing, 713 injured, and a city in a shambles.
In Black Friday, S. Hussain Zaidi takes us into the heart of the conspiracy which spanned several countries, and the massive investigation that ensued. A product of four years of meticulous research, the book gives chilling insights into the criminal mind, through interviews with close associates of Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, among others. The characters we meet are compelling: the terrorists, the corrupt law enforcement agents who abetted the plot, the investigators who would stop at nothing, and, above all, the people of Bombay of whose resilient spirit this book is a celebration.
Behind Bar In Byculla
In 2011, crime reporter Jigna Vora was arrested in connection to the murder of renowned journalist J. Dey. Seven years later, she was acquitted of all charges. This is her story in her own words—of the time she spent in jail and her experience of breaking many front-page stories. Her work brought her in contact with people like Himanshu Roy, the former ADGP of Maharashtra, while her time in jail put her in the company of Pragya Thakur, Jaya Chedda and many others. Her experiences reveal the intricate web of power dynamics that govern the inmates of a prison.
Jigna Vora is a crime reporter who has worked at Free Press Journal, Mid-day, Mumbai Mirror and Asian Age.
Byculla To Bangkok
About the book
The underworld has new faces, working for and against Dawood Ibrahim, the shadowy, manipulative figure who pulls its strings. Dawood’s own deputy-turned-arch rival Chhota Rajan, thug-turned-politician Arun Gawli, Amar (Raavan) Naik and his engineer brother Ashwin Naik, and a host of other characters, big and small, walk the pages of this compelling history of the Maharashtrian mobsters who were once dubbed ‘amchi muley'(our boys) by former Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. Also included are fascinating stories of the famous — and infamous — policemen and ‘encounter specialists’ who took on the gangs with great success and not many scruples.
Meticulously researched and thrillingly told by the acclaimed authority on the underworld, this brand new paperback edition of Byculla to Bangkok captures the humble beginnings of organized crime mafias that held Mumbai to ransom through the last decades of the twentieth century.
Bard of Blood
About the Book
Delhi’s power circles are shocked to discover that ex-RAW chief Sadiq Sheikh has been murdered. Kabir Anand is settling into his new life as a professor of Shakespeare studies in Mumbai, when a call from the PMO thrusts him back into the world he is trying to forget. A brilliant agent who served under Sadiq Sheikh, Kabir was forced to leave RAW because of a disastrous mission in Balochistan in 2006-part of India’s covert support of the Baloch rebels. Kabir must now revisit those ghosts, avenge his mentor and face his deadliest enemies- Mullah Omar and the ISI-while racing against time to save his country.
A gripping thriller, researched with the assistance of the US and Indian intelligence agents, war correspondents and crime writer S. Hussain Zaidi.
Mumbai Avengers
About the book
Five years after 26/11 – the siege of terror in Mumbai that brought the country to its knees – India still seeks justice.
The terrorists who planned it have disappeared into the darkness they emerged from and Mumbai seethes with fury. All the Indian government has achieved is the establishment of counter-terrorism committees. But one man will stop at nothing in his quest to avenge the dastardly act.
Retired Lt Gen. Sayed Ali Waris of the Indian army masterminds a covert mission with a team of daredevil agents: a sharp policeman, a suave tech expert, a cerebral scientist and two battle-hardened army officers. They strike like lightning even as they are pursued by the Pakistani army and the ISI, combing through every land and possibility in pursuit of the deadly killers. From Sweden to Istanbul, through Dubai, Pakistan and Singapore, they annihilate the perpetrators with single-minded focus, veiling the deaths as natural ones to save the Indian government diplomatic and political embarrassment.
The stakes have never been higher. This is a nifty, edge-of-your seat thriller with an intricate plot and jaw-dropping twists. As Waris and his team navigate untold dangers towards a nail-biting climax, will Mumbai finally be avenged?