Back in 1993, when serial blasts happened in Mumbai, 257 people were killed and 713 were severely injured. This incident that took place at Century Bazaar witnessed a parked jeep loaded with RDX and 200 people were injured because of it, causing the deaths of 113 too. The man who was riding the jeep was Abdul Ghani Ismail Turk. He parked the vehicle and went back home to Dongri immediately after this. Turk died on Thursday, 25th April 2019, in a Nagpur hospital. He was 68 years old. In 2007, he was sentenced to death under the TADA Act, which was followed by a life sentence. He was 35 when he was first arrested by the Worli Police.
Black Friday was Tiger Memon’s mind game in 1993 blasts. This was also his way of retaliating against the riots of Mumbai after the demolition of Babri Masjid took place in Ayodhya, in 1992. Hindustan Times reported that Turk was working with Memom, but before joining the gangster’s team, he was a taxi driver in Saudi Arabia (1980) and Mumbai (1985). Turk got into the bad business of smuggling from 1987 when he first smuggled goods from Dubai and Bangkok to Mumbai. He was sent to the Nashik jail for eight months after being arrested under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act also known as, COFEPOSA.
According to the Hindustan Times report, after getting released from the jail, Turk was hired as a taxi driver by Memon’s office where his job role included bringing and delivering money laundered through hawala channels. He was paid Rs 5,000 every month for this job. As he continued working for Memon, he soon became a trusted member of the Memon group. When the 1993 plans were being made, Turk helped in transporting RDX and arms to the Raigad district from the Shekadi coast. He helped in assembling some of the vehicle bombs too which included parking of the jeep outside Century Bazaar.
The 1993 blasts trial was conducted for over 15 years. Back in 2006, when Turk’s confession on the blast was accepted by the judge, he said, “I am not a terrorist and was misguided and dragged into the conspiracy by co-accused.” Thirty-five people including Memon are still wanted in the case.
