Unfinished Business

For over three decades, Memon has been a ghost, his name inextricably tied to the 1993 Bombay bombings, one of India’s deadliest terrorist attacks. On March 12 of that year, a series of coordinated blasts ripped through Mumbai, killing 257 people and injuring more than 700. The plot, masterminded by fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim with the backing of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), relied heavily on Memon’s smuggling network to bring RDX, hand grenades, and ammunition into India. Memon was not merely an accomplice but an architect of the carnage.

Last week, a special court in Mumbai ordered the transfer of 14 properties linked to Memon and his family to the central government under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA), 1976. These included those in Mahim’s Al Hussaini building, where Memon resided before fleeing Mumbai, along with assets in Kurla, Dongri and South Mumbai. This belated assertion of state authority does not address the more pressing concern: where is Tiger Memon?

For over three decades, Memon has been a ghost, his name forever linked to one of India’s deadliest terrorist attacks. While India has spent years securing the extradition of terrorists like Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Memon remains at large. The United States Supreme Court recently cleared the path for Rana’s extradition to India, rejecting his appeal to block it. While this is a major diplomatic and legal success, the glaring absence of similar progress in Memon’s case is difficult to ignore. The government has pursued legal battles over his properties, but its efforts to bring him to justice appear far less determined.

Unlike Dawood Ibrahim, who built an international criminal empire, Memon’s notoriety is tied almost exclusively to the 1993 bombings. His capture would not just be symbolic but send a strong message that India’s fight against terrorism does not wane with time. But the challenge, as always, is geopolitical. Memon, like Ibrahim, is widely believed to be in Pakistan. Islamabad, as expected, denies his presence, a claim no intelligence agency takes seriously. Yet India has failed to apply sustained diplomatic and legal pressure to force Pakistan’s hand.

New Delhi’s rising global influence provides an opportunity to change this. The United States has aligned itself with India’s concerns over Pakistan’s role in sheltering terrorists, and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has pressured Islamabad to crack down on terror networks. India must use this leverage effectively. If it can track Rana across borders and legal loopholes, there is no reason Memon cannot be pursued with equal resolve.

Justice cannot be dictated by convenience. India has shown the patience and persistence to chase terrorists decades after their crimes. But justice remains incomplete as long as the masterminds of its worst attacks remain free. The battle for Rana’s extradition was hard-fought and well-won. The war, however, will only end when men like Tiger Memon are finally brought to justice.