It was one o'clock at night. A black speedboat was approaching the abandoned lighthouse standing by the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The only sound around was the roar of the sea. Four armed men disembarked from the boat. They were led by Asif, who had been at the top of the police's most-wanted list for a long time. He was planning to leave the country within a week. This lighthouse was his last secret hideout. Asif entered and let out a sigh of relief. He did not know that for the past three days, the special forces of the Counter Terrorism Unit had been monitoring his every move. In the dark jungle around the lighthouse, twenty-five commandos were silently taking position. The operation commander, Tanvir, said quietly in his earpiece, "The target has entered. Position one ready. No one fires without orders. We want him alive."
It was two-thirty in the morning. Suddenly, the power supply to the entire lighthouse area was cut off. Asif was startled. The network of his iPad and satellite phone vanished in a second. A jammer had been set up! Asif realized he was under siege. He looked outside through the gap in the window. The intense light from five large searchlights coming from the jungle directly illuminated the wall of the lighthouse. The whole area became as bright as day. Just then, the serious voice of Commander Tanvir echoed through the loudspeakers: "Asif, you are surrounded. All escape routes are closed. Waterways, land routes—all under our control. If you want to avoid bloodshed, drop your weapon, raise your hands, and come out through the main gate within ten minutes." Asif's associates became panicked. One said, “Brother, should I try to escape to the sea through the back tunnel?” Asif gritted his teeth and replied, “They are not fools. The coast guard’s boats are ready in the sea. We have to fight.”
As ten minutes passed, the commandos threw tear gas and stun grenades to enter. With a deafening sound, the glass of the lighthouse shattered. Asif's team started shooting blindly. Intense gunfire erupted between both sides. Within minutes, two of Asif’s associates fell to the ground, hit by the special forces' precise shots. Asif was then on the top floor of the lighthouse. His intention was to throw grenades down from above. But Commander Tanvir had already climbed up the back wall using a rope. Just as Asif was about to pull the pin on a grenade, it slipped from his hand due to a kick from Tanvir’s boot and exploded below with a loud bang.
Asif was thrown back onto the floor of the dark room. As he tried to lift his pistol again, the cold barrel of Tanvir's rifle pressed against his forehead. Tanvir said calmly, "The game is over, Asif. Drop the gun." Asif was panting. His body was covered in dust and wounds. He realized there was no chance for a miraculous escape anymore. He slowly raised both hands.
At four in the morning, the dawn light began to break over the sea. As Asif was being handcuffed and taken into the police car, he looked up at the sky and sighed. A perfect investigation spanning three long years had concluded with a breath-taking 'siege' operation lasting just an hour and a half, bringing down a criminal empire.
