Hakim-ji’, they called him, the stocky middle-aged man with a flowing beard dyed with henna, who had stood among the crowd that had gathered to hear the speech that gave birth to the modern jihadist movement in India.
In the summer of 1985, as riots raged in Maharashtra, a small group of men had gathered in Mumbai’s Mominpora slum to discuss the creation of an armed group to defend Muslims. The organisation would carry out a string of bombings following the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992—and lay the foundations of today’s jihadist networks.
![Abdul Karim Tunda. CNN-IBN]()
Abdul Karim Tunda. CNN-IBN
Now, in the wake of a carefully-crafted operation involving India’s Research and Analysis Wing and intelligence services in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, that man is in jail.
Held this morning by the Delhi Police on the India-Nepal border, Syed Abdul Karim ‘Tunda’ will likely provide interrogators with more detail on the inner workings of the Lashkar-e-Taiba’s jihad against India than any terrorist held since 1993. For two decades, he evolved from being a hands-on terror operative to a key mentor, fundraiser and recruiter among jihadists drawn from the Indian diaspora in West Asia.
Born in 1943 to a lower middle-class family in Delhi, little detail is available on Karim’s early life. He moved to Pilkhuwa, near the town of Ghaziabad, in his teens. He then shifted base to Mumbai, where he set up a small dyeing business. From the accounts of relatives, Karim had little to do with politics—but was drawn to the neo-fundamentalist theology of the Jami’at Ahl-e-Hadis.
His friends in Mominpora came from diverse backgrounds. There was Muhammad Azam Ghauri—a one-time street thug from Nalagonda, in Hyderabad, who became a key jihad commander before eventually dying in a shootout with police. The third member of the trio was Jalees Ansari, the son of a Mumbai textile-mill worker, who’d clawed his way up to earn a medical degree.
The three men had just one thing in common: anger at what they saw as a fundamentally anti-Muslim society.
Precisely a year after the Babri Masjid was brought down, India’s first Lashkar cell executed 43 small bombings in Mumbai and Hyderabad and 7 separate explosions on inter-city trains.
Karim, intelligence officials believe, travelled to Kolkata, and crossed into Bangladesh with the help of contacts in the Jami’at Ahl-e-Hadis. He was then taken to Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, a long-standing Lashkar-e-Taiba commander who had been tasked with developing the terror group’s pan-India capabilities. By 1996, operating through the Dhaka-based Islamic Chattra Shibir [Islamic Students Organisation], Karim was running a formidable network throughout north India.
In 1996, Karim is alleged to have executed a series of bombings in Delhi, Rohtak and Jalandhar—the first significant actions carried out under his direct command. He earned the nickname ‘Tunda’ after his left hand was blown off in a bomb-making accident.
Pakistani nationals are alleged to have had an important role in Karim’s operations. In July 1998, for example, the Delhi Police arrested Abdul Sattar, a resident of Pakistan’s Faislabad district who had set up a covert terror cell in the town of Khurja. Karim had used his expanding network in India to provide Sattar with fake identification papers, cash, guides—and a landlord willing to look the other way while the Pakistani terrorist built a bunker to house explosives inside a pottery kiln.
The most successful of the long-term Lashkar agents was Mohammad Ishtiaq, the son of a shopkeeper from Kala Gujran in Pakistan’s Jhelum district. Operating under the alias Salim Junaid, Ishtiaq obtained an Indian passport, set up a trucking business out of Hyderabad which secretly served to transport explosives – and even married a local resident, Momina Khatoon.
The Lashkar’s confidence grew: at a November 1999 rally, its chief, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, announced that “today, inshallah, I announce the break-up of India”.
Karim receded into the background, shuttling between Lashkar safehouses in Dhaka, Kathmandu and Lahore to meet with operatives. There were repeated rumours he had died. However, he was spotted by Indian intelligence agents at the Lashkar’s campus near Murdike, near Lahore, where he owned a perfume business. Lashkar recruits who joined the organisation after 2002 Gujarat pogrom often met Karim, now a mentor and guide to a new generation of terror operatives.
Abdul Razzak Masood, an alleged Lashkar operative
held in New Delhiin 2005, told police he worked under Karim’s direct command.
Karim’s also thought to have helped developed links between the Lashkar and Karachi-based ganglord Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar. The Lashkar’s coalition partner in the International Islamic Front for Jihad, al-Qaeda, wished to expand into East Africa and offered cash for the mafia’s networks.
In October, 2003, the United States Treasury Department officially determined that Dawood Ibrahim’s “smuggling routes from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa are shared with Osama bin-Laden and his terrorist network.”
Karim was reported, in 2008, to have been
arrested in Mombasa—but that turned out to have been a case of mistaken identity.
Now, a full thirty years after that fateful meeting in Mominpora, Karim is finally in prison. Indian investigators will be seeking detail on the Lashkar’s future plans—but at last, they’ll be able to speak to someone who can tell the story from beginning to end.
186 comments
Tunda-ji will be rescued by the sickular mainstream media houses in their 24x7 channels. ... and we will have a few party spokespersons and general secretaries speaking for him....... though it will not be official version..... some parties in UP wil lseek even quashing of court cases against him...... all for hte secular media and political parties.....
Tired of this secularism........please save us fro mthsi sickular parties and
Delhi police..your achievement will be shortlived , wait for Digvijay to call press conference to pronounce it all fake and real culprit is RSS,BJP,wait for Abdullah to declare that he was only taking benefit amnesty scheme , wait CBI will come up with chargesheet against Police Officers, wait Mukul Sinha, Teesta , Brinda Grover and likes will pounce . REALLY INCREDIBLE INDIA!!!!
Did our cops find Tunda or did he find them? Mostly, these guys sneak back into India when they their have fallen out with their Pakistani benefactors of want to retire to a peaceful life after an illustrious career in spreading mayhem. We shouldn't be surprised to hear after a year or so that Tunda is out on bail and after a few more years a court might acquit him for lack of evidence. Mera Bharat Mahan!
This is real bharat Nirmaan...........buildign a sickular india
Hang him after a quick trial in Court..Do not let him have VIP facilities out of public taxes like Kasab got in Jail or keep Tunda alive in Jail for more than 10 yrs like Afzal Guru..
BUT WHAT ABOUT HINDU TERROR ????
sonia and diggy are crying over his arrest despite telling the fact to the delhi police that the terrorism meaning itself is not known to him, yet arrested him. However assured by the delhi police that they would assist to perforate the exchequer for feeding him for a decade with star hotel briyani
WE INDIANS ARE IGNORANT,FOOL,DIVIDED IF HE WAS DEAD HE WOULD HAVE BEEN USED AS APPEASEMENT TOOL LIKE BATLA HOUSE
WE INDIANS HAVE A COLONIZED DISTORTED MINDSET OF BENDING TOWARDS EVIL
IM SHOWING MIRROR NOT PAINTING BEAUTIFUL PICTURE OF DIRT TO APPEASE THATS WHAT IS REQUIRED
Secularism does not means appeasement to Muslim.Saudi destroys mosque for hotels,malls type'Saudi say no to Prophet but yes to Hilton'.Kuwait held election in Ramadan but here we do appeasement.
Hindutva is related more to the way of life of the people in the sub- continent a Supreme Court of India judgement in 95.
India culture,religion tells us to respect females thats why we call them devi(Goddess)[ladies] but to gentleman we dont call devta[God].But nowdays our society have distorted mindset.Namaste means I bow to the God/Goddess in you but we dont practice in action.
Aryan-Dravidian theory is fake as per DNA.Colour of skin is due to melanin.Recent studies on DNA of Indians by CCMB of India,MIT,Harvard proved that All Indians whether they are so called Brahmin,Tribal,SC, ST, Muslims, Christians of India have same genetic lineage.
Indonesia,Muslim majority country are proud of there Hindu ancestry has Lord Ganesh on 20,000 rupiah,Garuda Airlines,Indonesia Embassy gave Saraswati statue to USA if India does it than its communal.
Hindu caste system is not birth based as it was classification of job[Knowledge,Weapon,Land,Wealth not in one hand to be misused] not based on birth but ability,skills.The present Hindu caste system was followed by Portuguese,Spanish invaders called casta check these facts.
Present dowry system is European yes Bombay was used as Dowry by European invaders based in Hindu it was called streedhan which was property of daughter cannot be used by groom,his family & it was generally used in emergency like when she was widow.Purdah system,Early Marriage came when arab invaders captured our females converted them,enslaved them,raped them & to escape the brutality they jumped in fire/killed themselves to save their honour this is Jauhar & this horrible situation resulted in parents wanting men to fight.
But its fault of Hindu society who practices & believe these distorted things, Hindu caste sytem there were no untouchability concept.Crosscheck,spread them now. Be rational not emotional fool.Practically we are Kleptocracy [rule of theives] & emotional fools/aggressive votors since 47.
We bring AntiIndian govts like Communist which supported China in 62war,Owaisi party is offspring of Razakars who wanted seperate Hyderabad & Owaisi have same type of dreams.Dynasty rule since 47 did not work and have divided India like NehruJinnah reason for partition,Nehru-Abdullah family did not allow Sardar Patel to integrate J&K,Mamta destroying Bengal,Mulayam,Maywati destroying UP by Muslim vote bank,Lalu,Paswan destroyed Bihar state for Muslim vote bank.Yet we bring them.
Kashmiris,Assamese,Bengalis Hindus are refugee in India.
The only hope is BJP,Subramaniam Swamy Janata party,RSS,Muslim Rashtriya Manch,Tapan Ghosh.India is secular due to Hindus in majority its a fact.Democracy cant work in Muslim majority.Turkey,Tunisia are secular,no polygamy also want Islam as political tool since Arab Spring a mirage
The Lashkar’s confidence grew: at a November 1999 rally, its chief, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, announced that “today, inshallah, I announce the break-up of India”. --That was of course on the eve of the IA Plane hijack from Kathmandu to Kandahar. Inshallah, this "dry run" presaging the 9/11 Attack Against America, was the death knell for Pakistan. Not the drones, mind you, it is Pakistanis themselves bombing themselves into the Stone Age on a daily basis. But yes, many dots have to be connected via Kandahar to the recent LOC bombings. India too, unfortunately under the present dispensation, with a little help from its 'friends' elsewhere, seems to be undoing itself -- a scenario to which Pakistan contributes very little.
AFTER RETIREMENT, TUNDA WANTS TO EAT CHICKEN BIRYANI DAILY !!!
BUT WHAT ABOUT HINDU TERROR ?
They may eventually find their smarts, given the saffron beard?!
Did Sonia cry after Tunda's arrest?
No she told her rue to diggi dog to do something
Please keep this talented gentleman in good spirits by feeding and pampering him well.
so what! he his a big catch
two lines ignored in the report, him joining LeT after babri masjid demolition and other being him a handler of new recruits joining after gujarat riots. injustice breeds corruption and this terror business is one such curroption.
It was in his genes to be a traitor and a mass killer, and so he became it. Decent human beings don't! He will soon meet the virgins and 28 luscious little boys.
Kashi, Mathura, Kaaba, Jerusalem abhi baaki hai; soon that too will be completed. Inshallah!
GUJ RIOTS HAPPENED AFTER KILLING OF 60 HINDUS IN GODHRA.. JUSTIFIED ???
After all the replies to your comments it's now time you play victim
You people magnify gujarat riots which was started by a muslim group. But you never ever talk about kashmir pandits who were killled by Muslim fundamentalists in the name if religion, without ANY provocation - the number of pandits who died is far greater than the total deaths of hindus and muslims put together in godhra riots. You people never talk about these and that is why average hindu's blood boils at this huge injustice by you people
Really? Kashmir pandits were killed in thousands( read arctile on this in The Hindu by a Kashmir Muslim 10 days ago ), but they did not do any violence. 15% if pak population was hindu and now reduced to 2% by injustice. They are not doing terror acts. Islam has destroyed thousands of holy places of hindus in last few hundred years, still hindus are tolerant. what is your answer for this?
WHY ARE YOU KEEPING YOUR MOUTH SHUT ON 5,000 INNOCENT SIKHS BUTCHERED BY CONGRESS MOBS IN 1984. WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE STUCK IN A PRIMITIVE GHETTO? THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS WERE ALSO BUTCHERED IN COMMUNAL RIOTS INSTIGATED BY CONGRESS. PEOPLE LIKE YOU ALWAYS HARP ON GODHRA, LIKE A ROTTEN NEEDLE STUCK IN A GROOVE OF A RECORD, FORGETTING THAT CONGRESS MOBS AND JIHADIS BURNT 60 INNOCENT KARSEVAKS ALIVE. HAD GUJARAT A CHIEF MINISTER LIKE MULAYAM YADAV OR EVEN FROM THE CONGRESS, THEY WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE DEATHS OF THOUSANDS IN THE 12 YEARS THAT MODI HAS KEPT GUJARAT RIOT FREE. WAKE UP TO THE REALITY OR NATURE WILL MAKE YOU PEOPLE REDUNDANT.
Zafar,Pls take the history and notice one thing that --Hindus are most tolerable people in world that they are always respecting Muslims and believe in Secularism practices even after the history of Muslim tyranical rule for Centuries ago..From the time of Mahmud Ghazni attack and plundering the Somanth temple to the period of end Mughal period so many Hindus been slaughtered and counteless numbers of their temples,monastries been destroyed by Muslim rulers that Hindus although a majority in India have showed their liberal attitude of respecting Muslims and allowing them political powers here after British rule..In European nation and other western states Muslims could not have expected such friendship gestures from christian masses after all their dictatorial rule...But Indian Hindus do not carry any revenge like mentality or grudge over all such historical incidences..Leaving the old history In modern days also it is mainly ur community thats spreading hatred and terrorism all over world against others whom your radical leaders call as Kafirs or Infidels..
Would like to read your views on Kashmiri Pandits.. ie., if you have any, other than linking injustice, corruption and terrorism.
Why are funeral processions attacked in Pakistan ? Please relate to injustice & corruption .We are very keen to understand your profound knowledge on this.
There is something called DNA , age old practices & regressive thoughts.They have been carried forward by a specific group of people because they don't know how to integrate in a progressive society and try to harm everyone around them in the name of religion
Ur 100 percent Right Proactive
In Pakistan,Bangladesh and many other nations Hindus and Christians also facing hardlife, injustices,being killed,their women abducted,focefully converted and married off to muslims..but did the Indian govt or Hindu groups like VHP,RSS creating terrorists against the Muslim and the govt there..Why only injustices to Muslims ur talking about Mr.Zafar??
Babri masjid demolish hone ka matlab yeh nahi ki sabhi ke sabhi Musalman terrorist ban jaye..Kya yehi teri logic hai??Tab toh Akshardham,Varanasi ,Bamiyan Buddha aur Bodh Gaya blast hone par Hindu aur Budhist logo ko Musalmano ke khilaf hathiyar uthana chahiye tha (just example ke liye bola)..
Kriya Aur Pratikriya zafar Babri Masjid was demolished because Babur demolished Ram janmabhoomi mandir and Gujarat riots happened because at least 58 innocent Hindu women and children were burnt in Godhra by anti national elements who happened to be Muslims.
What a judgement ! People like you are never seen commenting on articles like pakistani beheading indian army soldiers without a reason.
UR RIGHT..WE LOVE TO RESPECT EVERYONE AS EQUAL BUT THEY MOSTLY STICK TO THEIR RELIGION AND BELIEF IN ISLAMIC JIHAD IN NAME OF FIGHTING FOR MUSLIMS RIGHTS AND THEIR SYMPATHIZER WORLDWIDE..
Why Indian Services are patting their back about catching this guy...when all the work was done by foreign agencies and handed over to them on India - Nepal border?
This is not the first time such has happened, and in the news all credit is given to Indian Agencies which infact has failed to catch these guys in the first place.
Stories should be reported as is and not fabricated. Failures should be highlighted so we can improve and not have a culture of patting each other's back.
I don't see any benefit or importance in catching him....once we had Kasab who gave all the information about attacks that who all were involved, how ISI and pak govt was supporting them and after getting all the information what we got, what Indian govt did, was the govt able to stop terrorism or put any pressure on Porkistan...so same will happen again even if he convinced that paki govt supports them and ISI supports them then what India can do...nothing
Now that Tunda is firmly in our custody there are many people who would like him to ' confess ' on various issues.
Madamji sent a circular to some of her favorite people seeking what should be incorporated in Tunda's confession. The replies below :
1) DIGGY SINGH: Ask Tundaji to say " There is no such thing as Indian Mujahideen. All terror activities attributed to IM were carried out by Dawood and LeT with assistance from RSS. Persons killed in Batla house encounter were innocent. Ishrat Jahan was innocent.
2) MMS ji : Ask Tunda to say " missing coal scam files were stolen by the LeT and they have been burnt and ashes immersed in Ganga ".
3) ADVANI : Madamji I apologize for bothering you but please tell Tunda to say " Modi is unfit to be PM. LeT is only scared of Advaniji. Advaniji did not know terrorists were released in Kandahar. It was Jaswants fault.
4) NITISH : Tunda se kehelwana Bodh Gaya Modi ne karvaya
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If he is such a big catch and most wanted after Hafeez Saeed, then we need a swift trial in shortest possible time, sentence and execution. Otherwise we will see another disaster and clamor from HR activists as he is an old person now. Before Kandhar hijack we had Masood Azar and others in our custody but kept them without trial, sentence and execution for hijackers to bargain. We have to be extra careful because there is political instability in India and there is every possibility of non-Congress Government.
We had to release terrorists in exchange of Rubaiya Mufti when her father was Home Minister in non Congress V. P Singh government. Kargil, Kandhar, Akshar Dham, attack on Parliament were in NDAs regime. So there is a possibility that Pakistan terrorists see Congress government relatively friendlier with them than the opposition and will always try to a prove point against opposition. Congress also always feels happy to taunt NDA/BJP blaming them for Kandhar, Kargil, Akshar Dham episodes.
Nimkar saheb, We hav got hold of him, not jus to execute him but to seek more info n intelligence bout lashkar plans against india. Y dont u think like dis? Jus by hanging him we wil win ? No. Think carefully n make d move
Our slow judicial system will anyway offer us lot of time to extract whatever information we want to extract from him. However, keeping him endlessly in our jails will be detrimental to our interests as shown above.
Dont make a Maulana Masood Azhar of him...but a Ajmal Kasab....only 5 years faster...
get the information that the govt folks need and then put him to rest as soon as possible before we loose him to free some politicians son or daughter or a whole plane like IC814.
Other another option inject him with some neuro degerative drug and royally return him to his men.....for them to take care...
Don't waste Tax payers money on a him
Great achievement by UPA government... unlike NDA government which cowardly freed such terrorists during Kandahar hijacking.
Although I disagree with your nick, however, I do agree with your comment
Does this chimpu know that he has to share his quota of 72 virgins with Digvijay Singh?
Getting Distracted By Madam Tunda is innocent. He was only stealing some herbs that grow on the India-Nepal border. But who stole the coal reports?
Oh pls he is innocent he is just secular and spreading the religion of peace.
Arrest, a conspiracy by IB and Guj police, according to CBI.
BUT WHAT ABOUT HINDU TERROR ?
Tunda is actually an RSS man dressed as a Muslim.
yes even his beard is saffron
