Murder of Hussain Ustara

Hussain Ustara, known in the Mumbai underworld by his alias Ustara, was one of the most sophisticated gunmen the city's mafia had ever produced. At all times flanked by half a dozen excellent sharpshooters, he moved through the criminal world with a reputation for precision and skill that made him a formidable figure. Yet for all his professional caution, Ustara harboured a fatal weakness: his love for the company of beautiful women. This appetite, which he indulged with reckless abandon, would ultimately pave the way for his downfall, as the mad surge of lust often made him careless and negligent in ways that his enemies were quick to exploit.

The Promise of Revenge and the Setting of a Trap

Ustara's death did not occur in a vacuum. He had made a promise to avenge the brutal death of Ashraf, a vow that placed him squarely in the crosshairs of the D-Company's leadership. Chhota Shakeel, aware of Ustara's intentions and his movements, set a chain of spies on the gunman. The plan was simple and patient: to wait for an opportunity to strike when Ustara was off guard. Ustara, for his part, liked to keep his romantic liaisons discreet, and so he avoided taking his men on his visits to women. What he failed to take into account was that his rivals were not oblivious to his movements, nor to his decision to take them on. The trap was laid, and it was only a matter of time before Ustara walked into it.

The Assassination on 11 September 1998

On the evening of 11 September 1998, Ustara made a fatal decision. He asked his men not to follow him, took his guns, and drove out in a grey DCM Daewoo Cielo from his den in Bapurao Pathe Marg. As he reached his girlfriend's house near Nagpada, the message was relayed to Shakeel in Karachi, who immediately ordered his men to assemble and ambush Ustara. Within an hour, the assassins had taken their positions. When Ustara exited the building, eyewitnesses later recounted that he did not look around but headed straight towards his car. The men who were waiting for him decided that this was their moment. Eight men whipped out their guns and showered a volley of bullets on Ustara. It is not known how many rounds were fired, but over twenty rounds mowed Ustara down and the rest punched holes in his car. It was over in a matter of seconds. Ustara neither had time to see his assailants nor could he draw his own favourite German Mauser. Ironically, Ustara had been proud of his ability to cock the gun and fire in three seconds, a skill that proved useless in the face of such overwhelming firepower.

The Aftermath and the Weapons Used

The cops later filed a report stating that eight men were seen firing bullets at Ustara. Four of them had come on two bikes, two had come on a scooter, and two in a Maruti van. In a rare occurrence in a gangland shootout, an AK-47 was used to kill Ustara. The men were armed to the teeth, indicating that even if Ustara had managed to put up a fight, he would have had no chance of surviving the attack. Ustara was rushed to J.J. Hospital, where he was declared dead on admission. The sheer scale of the weaponry deployed, including the unusual use of an AK-47, underscored the determination of Shakeel's men to ensure that Ustara did not escape, and sent a clear message to anyone who might consider challenging the D-Company's authority.

The Significance of Ustara's Death

The killing of Hussain Ustara was more than just another murder in Mumbai's long and bloody gang war. It was a demonstration of the intelligence and reach of Chhota Shakeel's organisation, which had been able to track Ustara's movements and strike at a moment of his greatest vulnerability. Ustara's death also meant that the promise to avenge Ashraf's brutal death would go unfulfilled, a failure that highlighted the precariousness of life in the underworld, where even the most skilled gunman could be brought down by his own weaknesses. The assassination reshaped the balance of power in the Mumbai mafia, reinforcing the dominance of the D-Company and its allies, and serving as a grim reminder that in the world of organised crime, no one was truly safe.