Among all the arch enemies of Dawood Ibrahim, a notorious crime lord of India who is accused of masterminding the 1993 Bombay blasts and connections to global terrorism, one person shines out, who is shrouded in mystery-a mysterious lady, known as Sapna Didi, whose tale is chilling as well as inspiring.
Who was ‘Sapna Didi’?
Sapna Didi, who was born Ashraf, was an altogether womanly figure and has been described as a gendered version of a “femme fatale” and also of an “avenging angel.” Born into a traditionally conservative Muslim family in Mumbai, the life Ashraf had lived took an altogether different turn when she married Mehmood Khan, a gangster. Thinking that Mehmood Khan was just another “good person,” Ashraf saw Mehmood brutally killed at the Mumbai airport-for questioning Dawood Ibrahim’s command.
This disaster transformed Ashraf into a fiery crusader of vengeance. Now known as Sapna, she began to meet Dawood’s competitor, gangster Hussain Ustara, who would instruct her on how to shoot and how to target D-Company.
Ustara mentored her into becoming an influential figure in the underworld. She and her mentor intercepted weapon consignments intended for Dawood’s operations, thus disrupting Dawood’s business ventures. As Zaidi puts it, “In Mumbai, Sapna was slowly gaining notice as the person responsible for disrupting Dawood’s businesses… creating unprecedented fear in the minds of Dawood’s many henchmen.”
It was stark—the burqa fell away for jeans and shirts, she rode the bike easily with guns. A small band of young followers soon emerged to encourage her bold act. She began being called ‘Sapna Didi’ while spewing malice towards Dawood.
Failed Assassination Plot
In the early 1990s, Sapna concocted a bold plan to murder Dawood in the India-Pakistan cricket match in Sharjah. She chose a rare public appearance by Dawood in the VIP enclosure to strike. Her men were planning to create a ruckus and attack Dawood with whatever makeshift weapons they could lay their hands on-from broken bottles to umbrellas.
Sadly, the plan leaked out. In 1994, Dawood’s goons attacked Sapna in her home in Mumbai, stabbing her 22 times. Crying for help, terrified neighbors did nothing to intervene, so she died before being taken to the hospital.
Sapna Didi’s life and mission remain largely unknown today. No photographs or detailed records exist of the woman who dared to challenge one of India’s most dangerous criminals. As Zaidi’s work suggests, she was a courageous and determined individual, whose story exemplifies both the power of vengeance and the price of defiance.
