Thakiyudeen Wahid
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Thakiyudeen Abdel Wahid was a leading Indian entrepreneur and aviator. Known to his friends as simply "Thaki", he was the Managing Director of the now-defunct East-West Airlines. A Keralite Muslim, he was one of the few well-known and successful Muslim entrepreneurs in India along with the Allanas, Khorakiwalas and Hamieds. Under his mantle, East-West Airlines was one of the leading domestic air carriers in India. However, the airline fell into bad times and wound up operations after Mr Wahid was assassinated outside his office in Bombay due to underworld rivalry in 1995. Noted Bangkok-based Indian gangster, Chhota Rajan claimed responsibility for the killing and cited business rivalries. Wahid was shot dead by a group of 6 gunmen right outside his Bandra office. The gunmen broke the window of his Mercedes with a hammer and then riddled him with over 30 bullets. His driver although seriously injured, still managed to drive him to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Often known as the "Father of India's Domestic Aviation" in comparison to JRD Tata who was known as the "Father of Indian Aviation" for his role in setting up what is now Air India, Thakiyudeen Wahid ran what was, once upon a time, India's premier airline with a fleet of 11 aircraft. In 1994, he orchestrated East West's IPO and raised 552 billion rupees for his company by issuing 40% of its stock.
Thakiyudeen Wahid was well known in social circles in India's commercial capital of Bombay as well as the Middle East regions of Bahrain, Oman & Dubai. With the aid of his brothers and several close friends and associates in the Middle East, he built East West into one of India's most formidable airlines. However, he was dogged throughout his career by allegations of underworld connections, being linked with Indian mafia kingpin Dawood Ibrahim. Rumor has it that the company he was running was basically financed by underworld money routed in through hawala. No strangers to the limelight, East-West was in the news in the mid-90s as a result of one of their senior Executives, Mr. Sabu Chacko being arrested under India's TADA law for allegedly harbouring AK-47 weapons before the Bombay blasts. Chacko was the brother-in-law of powerful Congress Party secretary Vincent George, a close aide and confidante of the Gandhi family.
The East-West Group is now looked after by Mr Wahid's brothers, Nasiruddin Wahid and Faisal Wahid, who are based in Bahrain & India respectively.
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