Story of their Assassins continues ………….

The cell was racing against time and two precious lives were at stake, as was the fate of the NDA government. Our hopes for a breakthrough were pinned solely on the chatter on nearly twenty mobiles we were secretly listening in to. But all we heard were conversations in chaste Haryanvi about property deals, plans to grab land on the outskirts of Delhi, unauthorized constructions and so on. It was clear they were toughs who were in the business of grabbing land, forcible evictions, etc. The waiting game was nerve-racking. The high-stakes operation was making no progress and waiting any longer for something to give made no sense.

Meanwhile, the dilemma before us was whether or not to caution the Tehelka honchos. If we informed them, it was unlikely they would keep the news to themselves. With little trust in the Delhi Police, they would run to the high and mighty in the Central government to provide them with special security. Also, they would go to town with the information about the impending threat to their lives, which would certainly make sensational headlines. Therefore, without taking the journalists into confidence, we quietly cast a protective ring around them, lest the assassins strike.

As waiting any longer was foolhardy, it was decided to round up all those who were under surveillance. The fact that the initial information had come from a central intelligence agency made expediency that much more imperative. But one premature move, one slip-up and the game could be over. Picking the goons up in ones and twos could have resulted in the rest escaping and jeopardizing our operation to nip the conspiracy in the bud. We wanted to lay our hands, in one clean swoop, on as many of them as possible, and sooner rather than later.

Finally, we heard in one of the intercepts that most of the goons were to meet near Bhalswa dairy in north-west Delhi. A trap was laid and we lay in wait.

To be continued ………….