Yakub Memon

Some Lesser Known Facts About Yakub Memon

• Yakub Memon was a Chartered Accountant from Mumbai who was later convicted for funding his brother Tiger Memon – one of the key conspirators of the Bombay Blasts – to flee from the country.

• His favourite colour was burgundy. ^[15]The Indian Express

• Yakub named one of his companies ‘AR & Sons’ after his father. ^[16]The Hindu

• According to sources, Yakub’s export business brought him success following which he acquired almost six flats in the Al-Hussaini Building, close to the Mahim Dargah, Mumbai. ^[17]The Hindu

  

• According to some sources, Yakub had a keen interest in playing cricket just like his family members and was the captain of the local cricket team. As claimed by some media outlets, Yakub was extremely good at playing badminton and squash. ^[18]The Telegraph

• According to the CBI, Yakub Memon was arrested at the New Delhi railway station on 5 August 1994. Yakub, however, later mentioned that he was not arrested by the CBI in New Delhi rather he had surrendered to the Indian intelligence agencies in Nepal on 24 July 1994. ^[19]The Indian Express

• Reportedly, Yakub Memon was booked under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code ^[20]The Quint on 27 July 2007. ^[21]The Indian Express

• Reportedly, Dawood Ibrahim, in a telephonic interview, expressed his happiness on the arrest of Yakub Memon and said,
  

  I am happy that he has been caught. At least the investigations are on the right track.” ^[22]India Today

• According to some sources, Yakub had gathered some pieces of evidence against his brother Tiger Memon, which included twelve Pakistani passports of the Memon family in which each member’s identity was hidden such as father Abdul Razzak was named Ahmed Mohammad Jamal (Pakistani passport no AA 763649), mother Hanifa as Zainab Ahmed (PP no AA 763645), Tiger Memon as Ahmed Jamaal (PP no 762402), Yakub as Yusuf Ahmed (PP no AA 763242), Raheen (Yakub’s wife) as Zeba Yusuf Ahmed (PP no 763646), and Suleman Memon as Aftaab Ahmed (PP no AA 763651). ^[23]Mumbai Mirror

• According to some sources, Yakub filed a mercy petition on the day of his execution as well, which was rejected by the Supreme Court in the early hours. ^[24]Deccan Chronicle

• According to some media outlets, before his execution, Yakub had a meeting with his daughter in prison during which he expressed his desire to see her as a bride and reiterated that he never did anything wrong. Yakub said,
  

  I wanted to see you getting married and settling down happily, but now I won’t be able to see that moment. I am sorry. I haven’t done anything which will bring shame to our family. I was never involved in anything. Take care of your mother.” ^[25]The Times of India

• According to some sources, during his imprisonment in the Nagpur Central Jail, Yakub once regretted that he was the brother of Tiger Memon. Yakub said,
  

  Allah usey kabhi maaf nahi karega. Kaash woh mera bhai na hota.” ^[26]The Times of India

• The Supreme Court confirmed the capital punishment for Yakub on March 21, 2013, making him the first convict to be hanged since 1995. ^[27]The Indian Express

• Yakub was hanged on his 53rd birthday, i.e., 30 July 2015. ^[28]The Indian Express

  

• Reportedly, the decoration of Yakub’s grave with LED lights and white marble to turn it into a “Mazaar” (Muslim shrine) hit the headlines in 2022. According to sources, the marble stones were coloured green, and the lights were installed at his mazaar. Later, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was asked to look into the matter following which the police officials removed the lights installed near the grave.

  

• A film titled ‘Black Friday,’ showing the true events of the Bombay bomb blasts, was released in 2004. The film was the adaption of journalist S. Hussain Zaidi’s book – ‘Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts’ (2002).