Afroz’s wedding card lands on ‘friend’ Mumbai Police’s desk

Maharashtra’s first POTA detenue has been cornered again, this time by his childhood sweetheart. Mohammed Afroz is getting ready to tie...

Maharashtra’s first POTA detenue has been cornered again, this time by his childhood sweetheart. Mohammed Afroz is getting ready to tie the knot. And guess who would be the special guests at the wedding — The very police team that charged him under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) in 2002!

Once charged with having links with the Al-Qaeda and waging war against the country, Afroz is today a happy man. ‘‘The wedding has been fixed for March 16. My bride is a primary school teacher and is in Pune.’’ He says that his 23-year-old bride, Zeba Khan, is the daughter of a Pune-based businessman, Ayyub Khan, and a distant relative.

Having put the darkest chapter of their lives behind them, Afroz’s parents, Hanifa Bi and Abdul Razzak, are ecstatic. ‘‘Afroz is our youngest and his sisters and brothers are all married. It is thanks to Allah, who sent an angel, Farid Shaikh, to help us,’’ says the mother of the 27-year-old groom. Shaikh is president of the Amman Committee and had rushed to the aid of the family when Afroz was charged under POTA last year.

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The Afroz residence at Cheeta Camp, Trombay, is a hive of activity. Invitation cards are being distributed, the house is being spruced up and the family is waiting to receive relatives. Preparations are underway for the mehendi ceremony that starts on Wednesday night.

After his career as an aspiring pilot nosedived — he was charged under POTA in 2002 when the Mumbai police claimed he was part of the conspiracy to crash a plane into the British House of Commons — Afroz has been helping his brother with his business as a shipping agent.

‘‘After I return from my honeymoon, which should be somewhere in Maharashtra, I shall plunge into the family export business in Vashi,’’ says Afroz. The wedding ceremony will be performed in Pune and will be followed by a reception at Cheeta Camp the next day.

Asked about the unusual invitees on the guest-list, Afroz says: ‘‘The police team and I have become close friends. I have already given an invitation card to Investigating Officer Dilip Patil. On Monday, I plan to meet ACP Ramakant Padual and DCP (Crime), Pradeep Sawant.’’

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Afroz was arrested from a hotel in Navi Mumbai by the Vashi Crime Branch on October 2, 2001. His arrest was announced only two months latter. With the world still reeling from the 9/11 attack on the US, the then Mumbai commissioner of police, M N Singh, dramatically announced that they had nabbed the man assigned by the Al Qaeda to hijack a commercial aircraft and crash it into the British House of Commons.

Afroz was thus charged under POTA on March 11, 2002. However, the case turned out to be one of the biggest embarassments for the Mumbai police, who could not substantiate their charges in court.

They finally dropped the POTA charges on March 26 and released Afroz on bail. However, there are other charges still pending against him.

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