Rubina, the housewife, earned nickname Pathan

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: Rubina Siraj Sayyed, the 39-year-old housewife from Nagpada who’s been found guilty of running a support system for the Chhota Shakeel gang, had used her ‘mehndi’ business as a front for illegal activities.

A mother of two, Rubina ran the beauty business initially to supplement the family income. Her husband Siraj Sayyed was a civil contractor. Rubina would earn between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 a month and was even a regular income tax payer.

Her two-room residence located in an old building on Duncan Road near Nagpada was modestly furnished. The family owned a car. While her 16-year-old son worked with his uncle Mohammed Jaffer at a garment shop, her daughter is in class X at a reputed south Mumbai school.

Well-built and fair-complexioned, Rubina was nicknamed Pathan for the toughness she exuded in her dealings. “She first came in touch with the Dawood gang through her cousin Obaid, who got a life term in a murder case,’’ said a police officer who investigated the case. Rubina was subsequently initiated into the business of tracking hawala channels for distribution of funds to support the legal expenses incurred by jailed gangsters.

Police had recorded at least 24 conversations between Rubina and gangsters Chhota Shakeel and Faheem Machmach, who are based overseas. The transcripts indicate the manner in which she was used as a underworld conduit over a span of two years.

Even after her arrest, Rubina seemingly remained unrepentant. As an undertrial at the Byculla women’s prison, she was known to bully fellow inmates and flaunt her links to the world of organised crime. Insiders were scared of Rubina, who was also known as Heroine and Aapa in prison.

“Rubina had thrashed an inmate in the past when she refused to massage her. I was in jail last year and have seen her. She was always surrounded by her supporters and enjoys royal treatment,’’ said a woman undertrial.

Sources said a few months back Rubina had also got into an argument with the wife of an underworld don and had threatened her. “She is very good to those who respect her. But, if you don’t show respect to her, she will abuse you and make your life miserable,’’ alleged another undertrial from the women’s prison.

With her arrest and conviction, Rubina now becomes the second woman in Mumbai to be sentenced on charges of aiding gangsters.

The Times of India, March 24, 2007