Under security cover of 30,000 cops, Yakub buried in Mumbai

The body of Yakub Menon, hanged on Thursday morning at Nagpur Central Prison for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was buried at Bada Khabristan graveyard in Mumbai’s Marine Lines area on Thursday evening amid tight security with close relatives and a large crowd turning up.

The body of Memon, who went to the gallows on his 53rd birthday after exhausting all legal options to escape capital punishment, was flown to Mumbai from Nagpur earlier in the day.

The coffin was taken to the graveyard at Marine Lines from the Memon family residence at Mahim, where the body was kept for about two hours for the last rites and prayers by the family members and others.

Police had banned the body being taken in a procession as part of security and law and order steps.

Over 30,000 personnel of Mumbai police, under the supervision of senior officers including City Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, had been deployed both at Mahim and the graveyard.

A large crowd, however, trickled and gathered from different parts of the city by the time the body reached the graveyard at 4.15 in the afternoon and the burial was over within an hour.

Yakub’s brothers and close relatives along with others were present.

Each entrant into the graveyard was initially frisked and made to go through metal detectors installed at the entrance of the over a century old graveyard but later it was stopped in view of rush.

Apart from Mumbai police, personnel from State Reserve Police Force, Quick Response Team, Rapid Action Force along with other para-military contingents had been deployed in entire South Mumbai since Wednesday night.

Mumbai Police had earlier detained 526 known criminals and history sheeters as a preventive measure.