Leave us alone, says family in Azamgarh

If anything marked Abu Salem’s village the day he was extradited, it was the silence. Nobody here is ready to let on anything about the local lad who made it big in the underworld of Mumbai and West Asia. ‘‘We have not seen him for more than two decades. We have nothing to say,’’ says a girl who stays with Salem’s mother at their ancestral house in Pathan Tola locality. She shuts the door on reporters who thronged for an interview with the don’s mother.

A few minutes later, Kaleem comes out of the house, asking why the media is here. ‘‘Salem’s mother is unwell. She will not talk to anyone. Salem’s brother Chun Chun Mian is out of the house. Please go,’’ he says.

After much persuasion, Sarfaraj, a neighbour, opens up. ‘‘His father Abdul Qayyum, a lawyer, died in an accident. One of his brothers, Chun Chun Mian, lives here. Salem’s two brothers visit only to celebrate festivals,’’ he said.

But the news of Salem’s extradition reached here much before the rest of the country. ‘‘We knew about his departure from Portugal last night,’’ says Mirza Aadil Beg. ‘‘Several youths of the town are working in the Middle East. They got the news yesterday and told us on phone.’’