Last-minute change of plans, confusion at airport

In the end, the Yakub Memon's body was taken out of a remote corner of the Mumbai airport in a speeding hearse van, followed by a police car.

Yakub Memon’s father in-law with relatives at Bismillah Mansion in Mahim Thursday. (Express Photo by Kevin DSouza)

There were elements of secrecy and last-minute change of plans as the mortal remains of Yakub Memon returned home to his waiting family Thursday morning. In the end, the body was taken out of a remote corner of the Mumbai airport in a speeding hearse van, followed by a police car. Older brother Suleman Memon accompanied the body on a commercial flight from Nagpur to Mumbai, scheduled for 10.20 am. “They had booked their tickets in advance, paying Rs 34,000. But we weren’t sure until they actually boarded the flight, whether they would be coming on it or not,” said a senior airport official.

The confusion was compounded by the early morning departure from Mumbai of a chartered aircraft. This meant the police and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) prepared Corporate Aviation Terminal, also referred to as Gate 8, in Vakola for Memon’s arrival. The body, accompanied by Suleman and an officer of the Nagpur police, however, reached in an IndiGo flight with minutes to spare.

Security forces now concentrated efforts to secure Gate 1 of the airport at Vile Parle. Police said the aircraft touched down at 12.10 pm, 10 minutes past its estimated time of arrival. It took 50 minutes, however, for Memon’s body to emerge from the airport.

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According to the airport official, 15 of those 50 minutes were consumed in bringing the aircraft to a halt and connecting it to the aerobridge. The next 20 minutes, however, resulted in a hold-up of the cargo caused by an unusual passenger situation. “Half of the plane’s passengers were journalists who stood waiting on the tarmac for Memon’s body to be unloaded. We had to tell them to move off because they were holding up movement of other aircraft,” the official said.

Having cleared the place of onlookers, the police took possession of the cargo, had Suleman identify his brother’s body and loaded it into a waiting black hearse van, which had been checked for explosives and its driver issued an airport entry pass.

Airport sources added that Chhering Dorje, Additional Commissioner of Police, West Region, then decided that the hearse would exit from Gate 8, having observed the situation at Gate 1. “There were a lot of journalists and airport employees gathered outside Gate 1. So, from a security point of view, it was decided to drive the van out of Gate 8,” he said, adding that bodies flown into Mumbai were taken out of Gate 1.

The hearse navigated nearly 6 km inside the airport premises, taking a u-turn en route to finally reach Gate 8, with Suleman seated in the front.

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Yakub Memon