HALF

The silver shimmered as the right hand yanked the handles to yawn open the blades of the metal cutter.

The left hand picked up the round hard supari and precariously balanced it on the lower blade using just the left hand's thumb and the forefinger.

The top blade now came down on the nut just about holding it in place.

The right hand applied pressure on the handles as the blades exerted their strength on the nut.

SNAP -- the supari cracked into half and fell into the palm of the left hand.

The right hand after placing the cutter on the table picked up one half of the supari and handed it to the contract killer.

The initiation was done.

The deal was sealed.

Someone's life would be snuffed out.

Tick Tok Tick Tok Tick Tok

The timer clock had started ticking.

 

This was Gangland Bombay

This practice of supari being cut into half and a half being handed over to the killer continued during the killings in the gangland war of Bombay.

‘Supari’— areca nut ie the simple betel nut had taken a sinister meaning in Gangland Bombay lingo. 

It is said that the first known supari killing (contract killing) was ordered in 1969 by gangster Haji Mastan. 

He had paid Rs 10,000 a handsome sum in those days to two Pakistani origin hitmen to eliminate his rival gangster Yusuf Patel.

 

When the killing was contracted and an amount paid for the job the person hiring would crack the hard betel nut into two using the nutcracker and hand over one half of the nut to the contractor with token money.

It was a gesture to seal the contract killing.

The rest of the payment would be made once the job was done and the two halves of the supari matched to identify the recipient.

 

However, before gangland ’Supari’ came into existence there was another HALF that dominated in scenarios among smugglers and Dons of Bombay crime world.

The ’half’ currency note.

It was not as sinister but still had a lot of action.

 

My story which is dated at least ten years before ’Supari’ leads you to the dark shores with one of these notes.

These were the years of contraband - gold, silver and diamonds bring smuggled into the country by unscrupulous citizens hand in glove with foreign smugglers.

 

                      -----////------

 

Sir Albert pulled out the crisp one-dollar note from his pocket. 

He was never knighted by the Queen of England but his mastery in crime must have earned him the title in the crime world.

Holding the ends of the green paper by fingertips of both his hands he held it against his face so that he came eye to eye with George Washington’s face.

He gave it a tug and with a ripping sound tore the note into half.

 

Poor George !!

His face was bisected along with the line ‘Federal Reserve Note’ and the line ‘The United States of America’ cut into half.

A set of identical serial numbers were also in each half of the note.

Handing over the half that had the word ’America’ printed on it to Dastoor Seth, Albert carefully placing the other half into the inner pocket of his silk suit jacket.

Speaking in his typical English accent he said, “Let your man hand this half and the exchange will be done”

 

It was an age-old traditional method used by smugglers to identify each other and hand over consignments along dark shores of choppy waters or other meeting points.

The unique tear and matching serial numbers of the note would ensure that the goods were handed over to the assigned individual of the right party. 

It was a foolproof system.

This practice continued and changed only with the advancement in country, currency and denominations of notes.

So all in all -- half notes of a dollar, pound, dirham, rupee etc did represent a value of smuggled goods most of the times hundreds and thousand times the minuscule value of the actual note.

 

Before the dollar was torn a briefcase full of cash had been handed over by Dastoor Seth to Sir Albert.

Notes were counted and a date was fixed for the exchange of the uncut diamonds. 

With the note tearing act, the deal was closed.

 

                     -----////------

 

A few days later on the assigned date, a dingy boat sailed in the darkness of the choppy waters towards the sands of Versova. 

Sir Albert who's huge ship had been anchored in the Arabian Sea deep waters of Bombay High had used a small motorboat to elude detection and now enter the city waters. 

In the dark of the night as the waves hit against the side of the small wooden boat accompanied with a chomp chomp sound from the engine, he stood on the bow with binoculars fixed to his eyes.

 

On the shore, Kedarnath hid behind a huge rock, a flashlight in hand.

He had been assigned by his boss Dastoor Seth to collect the consignment of diamonds from the European smuggler. 

 

                     -----////------

 

Kedarnath along with Nagraj were second in command to Dastoor Seth. 

Prior to this, over a few months unknown to the Boss, there was a rift developing among the lieutenants.

As his boss started trusting Kedarnath more over Nagraj a jealousy and power struggle was slowly developing in the Gang hierarchy.

Now that this major diamond collection assignment had been assigned to Kedarnath, Nagraj’s embitterment and resentment had reached its peak.

It was the last straw on the camels back.

                    

                       -----////------

At the exact assigned time, Kedarnath generated four long and two short followed by another four long flashes from his light.

The powerful hand flashlight had red cellophane paper fixed with rubber-band over its lens. 

After a break of five minutes, he flashed the code sign again.

In the pitch darkness of the Versova beach, this was the signal to the smuggler on the boat.

Sir Albert noticed these signals as he scanned the landscape of the rocky beach through his binoculars.

With a half-smile being generated and puffs of smoke from the lit cigarette drooping from his lips he replied mirroring the signal with his green coloured flashlight.   

He ploughed his boat towards the direction of the huge rocks. As the boat hit the rocky shoreline he cut the engine and felt the bobbing of the boat as it wavered in the light lashes of the waves.

He was now waiting for the right person to emerge from the darkness present the matching half of the dollar note take his consignment of diamonds and leave.

 

He heard the whishing whooshing sound as a person swam towards his boat.

Hanging clinging onto the side of the boat the person handed over a folded piece of paper to him.

Taking it he straightened and uncreased it to reveal the other half of his dollar note.

He matched the uneven tear in the note and assured himself that the serial number matched with the note half that he carried.

Satisfied he pulled the man onto the boat and reaching into his inner pocket pulled out a small silk pouch containing the diamonds.

He handed them to the bearer of the half note.

In an instant flood lights came on.

Accompanying it was a blaring announcement in Hindi on a megaphone. Loosly translated it meant -- 

”HANDS UP.

THIS IS THE POLICE. 

YOU HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED FROM ALL SIDES.

YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON UNLESS YOU SURRENDER

DO NOT MAKE ANY FOOLISH MOVES.”

 

Sir Albert and Kedarnath surrendered without a fight. 

Kedarnath did not know what hit him.

 

                      -----////------

 

Unknown to him they had been squealed upon. 

Details of this secret pick up had been anonymously passed onto the police.

It was GAME OVER.

Nagraj his other HALF in the gang had turned ’khabri’ -- police informer.