Hours before Yakub Memon's hanging, Tiger had called family to promise revenge: report

A week after 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon was executed in Nagpur’s central jail, reports suggest that his fugitive brother and the prime suspect in the case, Tiger Memon had allegedly called the Memon family residence hours before the hanging and spoke of taking revenge.

Even as this news made headlines, the Delhi Police said that the Supreme Court Judge Deepak Mishra who had rejected Yakub’s final plea to delay his execution had received an anonymous letter threatening him.

According to CNN-IBN reports the Delhi Police has registered an FIR and a probe has been launched and the judge’s security has been increased.

The Economic Times, which has said it has access to the transcript of Tiger’s call, reports that when an unidentified family member picked up the call, Tiger asked to speak to his mother.

The report says _, “Tiger repeatedly tells his mother that Yakub’s death will be avenged. “Main unko chukwaonga (I will make them pay).” A distraught Hanifa is heard sobbing on the phone and asks Tiger to stop the violence. She says, “Bas ho gaya. Pehle ke vajah se mera Yakub gaya ab aur nahi main dekh sakti. (Stop this, due to the first incident, I have lost Yakub. Now I can’t bear to see any more people dying).” Hanifa Memon’s appeal, however, falls on deaf ears as Tiger repeats his revenge message.”_

However, none of the top officials of the Mumbai police commented on the phone call and NDTV reported that officials had denied the allegation. The Economic Times reports t hat the phone call has resulted in police officials and intelligence officials being on high alert.

Yakub Memon was the only person sentenced to death for his involvement in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai, that killed 257 people.

A Tada court had convicted 100 persons for their involvement in the blasts, including other members of the Memon family who were found guilty of abetting the conspiracy to carry out the blasts. He was convicted on charges of participating in the conspiracy to carry out the blasts.

Yakub’s hanging took place despite last minute efforts by his lawyers to delay it. In an unprecedented move a three-judge Supreme Court had heard is curative petition at 3 am on the day of his hanging.

Among the grounds for Memon seeking his death penalty being commuted was the fact that he was suffering from schizophrenia.