I am a master in India

Chapter 308 Dubai
Shakir was short, thin, and unattractive; his friends called him "Bright Top" because he was almost completely bald.

Shakir's father used to work as a dockworker in Mazagan. After being laid off, he took odd jobs painting ships to supplement the family income, while his mother earned money by sifting rice for others.

There were five children in the family, and the seven of them lived in a small house. Shakir was the second oldest. After graduating from high school, he first worked as a television repairman in an electronics store, then sold counterfeit watches, and occasionally collected debts for the gang. Soon he caught the attention of Daoud.

Shakir rose to fame during a customs raid on smuggled gold. At the time, he was a low-ranking member of the Daoud gang.

The Delhi customs officials stormed in, and Shakir jumped into the drain outside the window without hesitation. The customs inspected the gold inside, counted the exact amount, and then filed out.

Shakir had been guarding the ground floor, pointing a gun at the first staff member who stepped out the door, and forcibly took the gold back.

He slapped the customs officers who were forced to comply to save their lives a few times, and then let them go.

Enraged, customs officials and police sealed off the entire Napada region, all for the sake of apprehending one person: "that shorty."

Daoud's gang pulled strings, and Shakir escaped imprisonment. In the late 80s, Shakir absconded to Dubai after being released on bail.

He has two daughters, who are now in Babayang, but they loathe the place. Despite their loathing, they have nowhere else to go and must rely on Shakir's income to survive.

Shakir himself remotely controlled Mumbai's underground gangs from Dubai, and one of his pastimes was to show Westerns all night long using a huge projector.

It's not the American cowboy west, but the Indian west, a gunfight movie based in Rajasthan.

Even though India has many flaws, it is still the hometown where he grew up.

He disliked Dubai, but had no choice but to live there. He watched Hindi television, frequently contacted his subordinates in Mumbai, and fantasized about replicating Mumbai in Dubai.

He had no real friends among the locals; he was unknown, alone, and aloof, both safe and sad.

Shakir is very nostalgic now; even the news that a new skybridge had been built in Antares, coming from Mumbai, is enough to make him feel warm and fuzzy.

Shakir and Kamal had a very close relationship. He never spoke to Kamal in a condescending manner and was a very down-to-earth person.

“Brother, you can do this.” He patiently taught Kamal, just like his older brother.

Shakir doesn't hold grudges within the gang unless you've been extremely disrespectful. He also has another name in Mumbai's Malpudan slum: the Scales of Justice.

The nickname originated from a trial when Shakir was still in Mumbai.

An old man owed money to someone named Balak, and the creditor sued Shakir.

The old man was taken alone to Shakir's office, where Kamal was playing golf.

The elderly man pleaded that he urgently needed money, as his daughter's dowry could not wait any longer.

Shakir immediately declared, "Then you don't need to pay back a single penny."

They even gave him an extra two lakhs as emergency relief; the Mumbai courts don't have that kind of compassion.

Kamal was impressed by Shakir's principles and addressed him respectfully as "boss" or "haji," a term of respect in Muslim culture.

Upon learning that Kamal had been kidnapped, Shakir immediately used his connections in Mumbai to try and get him out.

Kamal was his friend, and Shakir also needed Kamal as a source of money.

It might be hard for outsiders to imagine, but Daoud and Shakir were also wary of each other.

The two had a very unpleasant falling out over various grudges, but Shakir needed Daoud's money to survive, and in return, he protected Daoud from Rajan's schemes.

Since most of Daoud's money flows out through Kamal, Kamal becomes particularly important.

Shakir went so far as to call the Alliance, Daoud's arch-enemy, and eventually even went to Ron.

After much deliberation, Ron agreed to his trade request.

Kamal is of no use to him; he can be used as a bargaining chip.

Of course, he could take the opportunity to do a favor for Daoud's gang, claiming it was in gratitude for Kamal's earlier tip-off.

As for getting the new federation to release the people, that's just a matter of a word.

Johnny and his team's business, as well as their recent unexpected troubles, all owe a great debt to Ron.

After agreeing on a time, Ron immediately led his men to Dubai.

Yes, this time it was still Mary and Karuna who accompanied them.

Ron has made the decision: SunTV's flagship genre will be crime and detective dramas.

He had too many resources around him; he had Aijie with the police and the New Union and Daoud gangs with the criminal underworld.

By employing a two-pronged approach, combining internal and external methods, we strive to present the most realistic crime scene.

Sun Entertainment is preparing to produce its own flagship TV series, "Return to Mumbai," which tells the story of young people living at the bottom of society, how they infiltrate gangs, and how they deal with the police.

For this first time directing this type of TV series, the style can be a bit bright and cheerful, and it must be exciting and explosive.

Surprisingly, Shakir agreed to disclose a series of inside stories about the gang to SunTV.

He hoped that through television, the Indian government, society, judicial system, and gangs would know: "The existence of gangs is for a reason."

He suggested that Ron write the most realistic gang warfare into the film script, so as to be different from the previous absurd and outlandish film and television works.

“This is not a fairy tale,” he said on the phone.

He was willing to assist Ron and his team in conducting on-site investigations, and the television crew could travel to Dubai to spend fifteen days observing the gang's operating methods.

In Shakir's view, Indian television should indeed write this script so that the government can understand the actual situation of gang warfare and formulate the best strategy to combat gangs.

He even joked that this was a good thing for society. If the government is willing to keep gang extortion within reasonable limits, it should allow smuggling to be profitable.

"Trade policies on gold, imported watches, and electronic products need to be tightened again. Since it's impossible to eliminate gangs, we must learn to coexist with them."

Shakir also said that sometimes gang infighting is simply for the sake of making a name for themselves in the newspapers. They have no respect for the law and even regard breaking the law as a kind of honor.

When Ron and his group disembarked at Dubai Airport, Vinod and a large group of people came to pick them up.

They sat in taxis and vans, lined up along the road, numbering more than a dozen.

For travel agencies, the one thing they never lack is vehicles; they need to take people around everywhere.

They even had more than ten buses, and Vinod's own car was an Audi.

Ron made him buy it; without some prestige, how could those appliance certification agencies easily receive him?

“Ron Baba.” Vinod came over and bowed in a gesture of respect, touching the feet of the other person.

"Have you not shaved for days?" Ron teased, putting his arm around his shoulder.

“A beard can keep out the wind and sand.” Vinod smiled, a genuine smile from the heart.

While living abroad, he missed his hometown of Mumbai. Fortunately, unlike wanted gang members, he didn't miss it so much that he would fly back.

But when he saw an old friend from Mumbai, Vinod was still incredibly warm and eager to show Ron the business he had built there.

“We have four offices in Dubai alone, the largest of which is in an office building with a beautiful view of the bay.”

“Yes, this is indeed the state Mumbai dreams of.” Ron looked at the skyscrapers outside the car window, his expression relaxed.

The convoy cruised through the brand-new city without any obstruction. The entire city looked brand new, as if it had just been built yesterday.

This was a world apart from the scene in Mumbai, where a spacious Audi sped past skyscrapers and the streets were deserted.

The only drawback is the lack of greenery. The main roads are bare, unlike Grant Road which is lined with trees.

The car stopped in front of the InterContinental Dubai Hotel, where Vinod had booked a suite for Ron in advance.

This is Dubai's first five-star hotel, which has hosted dignitaries from various countries and is very close to the airport.

Ron simply took a shower there, and then began meeting with several senior executives of the travel agency.

Some of them were personally interviewed by Ron in Mumbai when they were still green graduates.

After two or three years of training, most of them have developed the demeanor of managers.

Ron offered them a few words of encouragement, then toured the main offices, thus concluding his visit.

Travel agencies generally don't make much profit; they earn about 200 million rupees a year, which is nothing compared to behemoths like Suer Electric.

But it was an important channel in Ron's hands, serving not only as a deterrent to the Mumbai gangs hiding here, but also as a key gateway for transferring funds.

Considering the rupee's creditworthiness and exchange rate instability, Ron converted all his spare money into US dollars.

Today, Suer Electric produces as many as 50 televisions per month, with a monthly profit of 22 billion rupees.

If you add appliances like water-cooled air conditioners, electric fans, rice cookers, and juicers, 30 billion rupees wouldn't be a problem.

With so much money, it was impossible to let it sit in a bank account. Ron used some of it to expand production and invest in the port, and the rest was laundered into US dollars.

The travel agency is the perfect front; besides Dubai, it has branches throughout the Persian Gulf countries.

Ron's money was gradually distributed through these dozens of accounts. Each account held a hundred million or two hundred million rupees, making it both inconspicuous and safe.

Once the money is overseas, things become much easier; it can be deposited into an offshore account at a Swiss bank in just one night.

The US dollar is still the best; you can buy anything with it, and the exchange rate is stable.

Without this channel, Suer Electric would not be able to obtain the technology, production lines, and raw materials it wanted.

Therefore, although the travel agency does not account for a large proportion of Ron's business, it is extremely important.

He didn't rush to meet with Shakir upon arriving in Dubai; instead, he met with the city's middle and senior management one by one.

After spending two days dealing with internal affairs, he finally took Mary and the others to the appointment.

The two agreed to meet at the Jumeirah resort. When Ron arrived, the short Shakiel was enjoying a whiskey by himself.

Several people were sitting at the table next to him, glancing over from time to time.

Ron and his group were in a similar situation; Vinod had no shortage of manpower here.

However, this is Dubai, where guns are prohibited.

People can no longer carry pistols on their hips like they did in Mumbai; this current behavior is more about making a show of force.

Ron simply waved his hand, and Vinod and the others dispersed and sat down at another table.

He took Mary and Karuna and sat down directly opposite Shakir.

"May you be safe and well, Mr. Sue."

“Good luck.” Ron nodded.

The two men remained calm, showing none of the tense atmosphere they had displayed during their previous death threats on the phone.

(End of this chapter)