- Sep 22, 2013
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Here's a heist story from India, a fictional story from the land of my origins, since I thought it'd be nice to offer up a heist-vignette from my native country! Thanks so much for reading,
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The sun was setting on New Delhi (India), and people were fascinated by the Facebook/Bloomberg commerce culture of the 21st Century. India had been known for its tourism-hospitality industry but was now also invested in computers and microchips. The State Bank of India was even holding a very rare Antwerp diamond worth over $10 million to be sold at an aristocratic event in Europe co-hosted by Mark Zuckerberg. Yes, Delhi/India was the site of great new era intrigue suddenly!
STATE BANK OF INDIA: "Our Antwerp diamond stored in our safe-box in the secure vault-room is our prized possession!"
Now, the State Bank of India branch in New Delhi is a highly-respected institution. All the aristocratic families of Delhi bank there, and many politicians do as well. It's considered a first-rate Indian institution in the hot nation of India. India is so hot that children complain when not wearing short-pants. Nevertheless, the State Bank is always up and running dependably!
The State Bank of India's possession of the +$10million Antwerp diamond was a media event, and the daughter of the Bank CEO, Shirmala Tata, was considered a major magazine feature when standing next to the coveted diamond rumored to be linked to some nefarious and strange bedfellows in the 'blood diamond' market in South Africa. The India Magazine described Shirmala's connection to the Antwerp diamond to be the crowning happiness of her rich fat-cat father!
This really the story of Amlan Shah, a master-thief. He sought to steal the Antwerp diamond from the State Bank of India in New Delhi in the summer of 2010. He was going to walk in wearing a strange head-gear and sunglasses and mask and claim something outrageous, so distracting that his heist would be rather smooth. This was his plan. He wanted the diamond, and he planned his heist on the day the bank CEO's daughter Shirmala was attending for yet another media event for photos with the diamond itself. Amlan Shah (aka, 'The Shadow') wanted to lift the $10 million Antwerp rock from the bank in Delhi.
On the day of Shirmala's visit, the State of Bank of India in New Delhi was quite busy. There must've been hundreds of customers in line, and most just wanted to see the magazine reporters and a few celebrity friends of Shirmala attend the Antwerp diamond photo-session inside the bank. Master-thief Amlan Shah (aka, 'The Shadow') knew this, of course, and wanted to orchestrate his heist within this flurry of crowd madness inside the bank. That day, it was also very hot outside, and weather forecasters had predicted a high of over 98 degrees, but with very low humidity (a deadly dry heat!).
The Shadow (Amlan Shah), master-thief, walked into the State Bank of India in New Delhi that day in a winter-cap and sunglasses and mask, claiming he had a bomb which was going to be detonated in the Taj Mahal in faraway Agra by his anonymous crime-partner. Of course, the Taj Mahal was closed to visitors that day because of the extreme heat, but the Shadow's threat to blow up the iconic and legendary Indian historical monument, a site for great tourism year-round, frightened everyone inside the State Bank in Delhi, including Shirmala, daughter of the bank's CEO. The Shadow requested to be taken to the vault-room to be photographed alongside Shirmala and the Antwerp diamond immediately.
Once inside the vault-room, the Shadow was photographed by the same magazine reporters who'd just been earlier preoccupied with taking snapshots of Shirmala, daughter of the wealthy bank CEO, herself. Shadow had the reporters/photo-men take snapshots of himself holding the diamond and standing next to a bewildered Shirmala Tata. After about a baker's dozen worth of photos were taken inside the vault-room, Shadow took Shirmala hostage with his toy water-gun which was filled with corrosive HCL acid, threatening he'd shoot the poor and bewildered wealthy daughter in the foot! They crawled out the bathroom window of the bank together and into the back alley behind the bank building where the Shadow and Shirmala hopped onto Shadow's parked Vespa scooter and rode off together and with the $10 million Antwerp diamond.
Shadow/Shirmala rode to a Maruti rental-car center in Delhi after trading in the Antwerp diamond at a black market underground factory for cool cash. Shadow used some of this traded cash to rent a decent Maruti car and drove Shirmala and himself to the Delhi International Airport with great speed and urgency!
Shadow thanked Shirmala for her cooperation and even left her his acid-gun and the Maruti car for her to do with whatever she wished. He then boared an Air India flight to Dublin (Ireland), where he'd hook up with his crime-partner who'd never have to set off that horrible explosive device within the iconic Taj Mahal. Meanwhile, one week later, Delhi Policewoman and Inspector Aishwarya Rai was assigned to the case of this annoying 'Shadow' kidnapping Shirmala Tata and stealing the +$10million Antwerp diamond and giving it over to the underworld and therefore threatening security monitoring of the underground 'blood diamond' market. Officer Rai stated to the Times, "The Shadow is a modern menace, and we intend to paint him as a real demon!"
Shadow stayed in Dublin for some time before heading to LA where he attended a South Indian women's saree fashion show, co-hosted by a Bollywood actress-celebrity. Shadow purchased a $1000 saree and mailed it anonymously to the State Bank of India CEO for his daughter Shirmala Tata. The attached note read, "Here's a saree from the City of Angels for your daughter's role in a very important blood diamond destabilization dance in India's capital."
Shadow then traveled to a Hindu temple outside LA where he prayed to the deities Shiva (god of destruction) and Saraswati (goddess of learning) and gave thanks for his outrageous fortune in achieving an important heist for a symbolic diamond from Antwerp which hopefully would draw more attention to the terrorism behind the ugly blood diamond market. Shadow prayed and prayed and vowed to give up his life of theft forever! Meanwhile, he swore he thought the deities Shiva/Saraswati whispering about his fate in his cool ear.
SHIVA: This 'Shadow' and Shirmala have attained media celebrity!
SARASWATI: Yes, because the 'blood diamond' market is indeed evil.
SHIVA: Now, Amlan will disavow his dark life of theft.
SARASWATI: The Shadow was a true master-thief.
SHIVA: He was a modern-day Dillinger.
SARASWATI: India will romanticize him, no doubt.
SHIVA: Blood diamond investigators will record this incident too.
SARASWATI: The State Bank of India should benefit socially in the press.
SHIVA: Crime stories are spiced when tied to underworld slopes.
SARASWATI: I suppose this diamond heist is not as ugly as blood diamond terrorism.
SHIVA: It sure isn't, but Shadow now seeks a life of peace and prayer regardless.
SARASWATI: Good for him.
SHIVA: Good for him and for the celebrity Shirmala.
SARASWATI: Indeed!
SHIVA: Go in peace, Shadow.
SARASWATI: Go in peace!
Shadow took some of his 'earned' money to attend a hot LA Lakers men's basketball game in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the City of Angels. The Lakers featured Kobe Bryant in a season predicted to be his best in years. Shadow commented on the flowery and flourishing of new age commercial vanities. He hoped the blood diamond terrorism in South Africa would come to a closure amidst this otherwise grand media dancing.
SHADOW (Amlan Shah): "I'm grateful to be in Los Angeles and America, and I feel this Lakers game'll inspire me to be a patriot."
OFFICER RAI (Delhi): "Wherever this 'Shadow' thief is hiding, I'm not giving up on my conviction that he deserves only justice."
====
"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)
====
The sun was setting on New Delhi (India), and people were fascinated by the Facebook/Bloomberg commerce culture of the 21st Century. India had been known for its tourism-hospitality industry but was now also invested in computers and microchips. The State Bank of India was even holding a very rare Antwerp diamond worth over $10 million to be sold at an aristocratic event in Europe co-hosted by Mark Zuckerberg. Yes, Delhi/India was the site of great new era intrigue suddenly!
STATE BANK OF INDIA: "Our Antwerp diamond stored in our safe-box in the secure vault-room is our prized possession!"
Now, the State Bank of India branch in New Delhi is a highly-respected institution. All the aristocratic families of Delhi bank there, and many politicians do as well. It's considered a first-rate Indian institution in the hot nation of India. India is so hot that children complain when not wearing short-pants. Nevertheless, the State Bank is always up and running dependably!
The State Bank of India's possession of the +$10million Antwerp diamond was a media event, and the daughter of the Bank CEO, Shirmala Tata, was considered a major magazine feature when standing next to the coveted diamond rumored to be linked to some nefarious and strange bedfellows in the 'blood diamond' market in South Africa. The India Magazine described Shirmala's connection to the Antwerp diamond to be the crowning happiness of her rich fat-cat father!
This really the story of Amlan Shah, a master-thief. He sought to steal the Antwerp diamond from the State Bank of India in New Delhi in the summer of 2010. He was going to walk in wearing a strange head-gear and sunglasses and mask and claim something outrageous, so distracting that his heist would be rather smooth. This was his plan. He wanted the diamond, and he planned his heist on the day the bank CEO's daughter Shirmala was attending for yet another media event for photos with the diamond itself. Amlan Shah (aka, 'The Shadow') wanted to lift the $10 million Antwerp rock from the bank in Delhi.
On the day of Shirmala's visit, the State of Bank of India in New Delhi was quite busy. There must've been hundreds of customers in line, and most just wanted to see the magazine reporters and a few celebrity friends of Shirmala attend the Antwerp diamond photo-session inside the bank. Master-thief Amlan Shah (aka, 'The Shadow') knew this, of course, and wanted to orchestrate his heist within this flurry of crowd madness inside the bank. That day, it was also very hot outside, and weather forecasters had predicted a high of over 98 degrees, but with very low humidity (a deadly dry heat!).
The Shadow (Amlan Shah), master-thief, walked into the State Bank of India in New Delhi that day in a winter-cap and sunglasses and mask, claiming he had a bomb which was going to be detonated in the Taj Mahal in faraway Agra by his anonymous crime-partner. Of course, the Taj Mahal was closed to visitors that day because of the extreme heat, but the Shadow's threat to blow up the iconic and legendary Indian historical monument, a site for great tourism year-round, frightened everyone inside the State Bank in Delhi, including Shirmala, daughter of the bank's CEO. The Shadow requested to be taken to the vault-room to be photographed alongside Shirmala and the Antwerp diamond immediately.
Once inside the vault-room, the Shadow was photographed by the same magazine reporters who'd just been earlier preoccupied with taking snapshots of Shirmala, daughter of the wealthy bank CEO, herself. Shadow had the reporters/photo-men take snapshots of himself holding the diamond and standing next to a bewildered Shirmala Tata. After about a baker's dozen worth of photos were taken inside the vault-room, Shadow took Shirmala hostage with his toy water-gun which was filled with corrosive HCL acid, threatening he'd shoot the poor and bewildered wealthy daughter in the foot! They crawled out the bathroom window of the bank together and into the back alley behind the bank building where the Shadow and Shirmala hopped onto Shadow's parked Vespa scooter and rode off together and with the $10 million Antwerp diamond.
Shadow/Shirmala rode to a Maruti rental-car center in Delhi after trading in the Antwerp diamond at a black market underground factory for cool cash. Shadow used some of this traded cash to rent a decent Maruti car and drove Shirmala and himself to the Delhi International Airport with great speed and urgency!
Shadow thanked Shirmala for her cooperation and even left her his acid-gun and the Maruti car for her to do with whatever she wished. He then boared an Air India flight to Dublin (Ireland), where he'd hook up with his crime-partner who'd never have to set off that horrible explosive device within the iconic Taj Mahal. Meanwhile, one week later, Delhi Policewoman and Inspector Aishwarya Rai was assigned to the case of this annoying 'Shadow' kidnapping Shirmala Tata and stealing the +$10million Antwerp diamond and giving it over to the underworld and therefore threatening security monitoring of the underground 'blood diamond' market. Officer Rai stated to the Times, "The Shadow is a modern menace, and we intend to paint him as a real demon!"
Shadow stayed in Dublin for some time before heading to LA where he attended a South Indian women's saree fashion show, co-hosted by a Bollywood actress-celebrity. Shadow purchased a $1000 saree and mailed it anonymously to the State Bank of India CEO for his daughter Shirmala Tata. The attached note read, "Here's a saree from the City of Angels for your daughter's role in a very important blood diamond destabilization dance in India's capital."
Shadow then traveled to a Hindu temple outside LA where he prayed to the deities Shiva (god of destruction) and Saraswati (goddess of learning) and gave thanks for his outrageous fortune in achieving an important heist for a symbolic diamond from Antwerp which hopefully would draw more attention to the terrorism behind the ugly blood diamond market. Shadow prayed and prayed and vowed to give up his life of theft forever! Meanwhile, he swore he thought the deities Shiva/Saraswati whispering about his fate in his cool ear.
SHIVA: This 'Shadow' and Shirmala have attained media celebrity!
SARASWATI: Yes, because the 'blood diamond' market is indeed evil.
SHIVA: Now, Amlan will disavow his dark life of theft.
SARASWATI: The Shadow was a true master-thief.
SHIVA: He was a modern-day Dillinger.
SARASWATI: India will romanticize him, no doubt.
SHIVA: Blood diamond investigators will record this incident too.
SARASWATI: The State Bank of India should benefit socially in the press.
SHIVA: Crime stories are spiced when tied to underworld slopes.
SARASWATI: I suppose this diamond heist is not as ugly as blood diamond terrorism.
SHIVA: It sure isn't, but Shadow now seeks a life of peace and prayer regardless.
SARASWATI: Good for him.
SHIVA: Good for him and for the celebrity Shirmala.
SARASWATI: Indeed!
SHIVA: Go in peace, Shadow.
SARASWATI: Go in peace!
Shadow took some of his 'earned' money to attend a hot LA Lakers men's basketball game in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the City of Angels. The Lakers featured Kobe Bryant in a season predicted to be his best in years. Shadow commented on the flowery and flourishing of new age commercial vanities. He hoped the blood diamond terrorism in South Africa would come to a closure amidst this otherwise grand media dancing.
SHADOW (Amlan Shah): "I'm grateful to be in Los Angeles and America, and I feel this Lakers game'll inspire me to be a patriot."
OFFICER RAI (Delhi): "Wherever this 'Shadow' thief is hiding, I'm not giving up on my conviction that he deserves only justice."
====
"Money is everything" (Ecclesiastes)
