Dangerous Minds

by S. Hussain Zaidi, Brijesh Singh

Dangerous Minds will delve into the complex and intricate lives of some of the most talked-about terrorists of the country. Dr Jalees Ansari, a doctor from Malegaon involved in eighty blasts, including some on railway tracks, was supposed to be a quiet, peace-loving medical professional. Fahmida Ansari, a housewife and mother of two from the Jogeshwari slums of north-west Mumbai, physically planted the bombs herself in a bus and taxis and returned home as if nothing had happened. What drove them to such violent designs? What were their compulsions? Can a human being be so ruthless and heartless, and why?

The book will explore the lives, early beginnings, careers and sudden transformations of such persons into merchants of death.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, True Crime, Terrorism, History, Indian Literature, India

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2017

About the author

S. Hussain Zaidi is a prominent Indian author, journalist, and screenwriter celebrated for his invaluable contributions to the world of crime reporting, investigative journalism, and storytelling. Born on February 28, 1962, in Mumbai, India, Zaidi has left an indelible mark on the literary and cinematic landscapes of India, particularly in the realm of crime and the Mumbai underworld.

S. Hussain Zaidi embarked on his career as a crime reporter, where he honed his skills in uncovering hidden truths and delving into the intricacies of organized crime in Mumbai. His early experiences as a journalist provided him with a deep understanding of the criminal world and its dynamics.

Over the years, Zaidi transitioned from journalism to writing and screenwriting, bringing his unparalleled insights and storytelling prowess to a wider audience. His unique ability to humanize the characters in his narratives, whether they are criminals or law enforcement officers, sets his work apart.

"Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts" - Zaidi's book "Black Friday" is a compelling account of the 1993 Bombay bombings. It presents a factual and thorough examination of the events leading up to the blasts and their aftermath.

"Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia" - This critically acclaimed book stands as one of Zaidi's most notable works. It meticulously traces the evolution of organized crime in Mumbai over six decades. The book offers a comprehensive and gripping account of the city's criminal history.

"Mafia Queens of Mumbai: Stories of Women from the Ganglands" - In this compelling book, Zaidi sheds light on the powerful and enigmatic women who played significant roles in Mumbai's underworld. He tells their stories with empathy and detail, providing a fresh perspective on the world of crime.

S. Hussain Zaidi's influential literary works have transcended the confines of the written word and made a powerful impact on the silver screen. Some noteworthy adaptations of his books include:

"Black Friday" (2007) - Directed by Anurag Kashyap.
"Shootout at Wadala" (2013) - Directed by Sanjay Gupta.
"Class of '83" (2020) - Directed by Atul Sabharwal.
"Gangubai Kathiawadi" (2022) - Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, among many others.

In addition to his contributions to the film industry, S. Hussain Zaidi has harnessed his creative prowess in the realm of film and web series production. His noteworthy productions encompass projects like "Bard of Blood" and "Scoop" on Netflix, as well as the recent addition "Bambai Meri Jaan," available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

S. Hussain Zaidi has played a pivotal role in nurturing emerging literary talents within the authorship realm. Notably, individuals such as Bilal Siddique, Neeraj Kumar (Commissioner of Delhi Police), Kashif Mashaikh, and many more have found their path to success as authors under his guidance. This mentoring initiative is facilitated through "Blue Salt Media," an imprint in collaboration with Penguin India.

S. Hussain Zaidi's work, both in literature and cinema, continues to captivate audiences with its gritty realism, engaging storytelling, and insights into the complex world of crime and law enforcement in India. His contributions have not only enriched the true crime genre but have also served as a source of inspiration for aspiring writers, journalists, and filmmakers.

Reviews

[Ishwinder Sialy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dangerous Minds tells the story of Jalees Ansari, the Malegaon doctor involved in 80 blasts; Fahmida Sayed, a housewife who supported her husband and help-ed plant bombs, including the ones at Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar in 2003; Abu Faisal, head of SIMI in Madhya Pradesh, who executed a series of bank robberies to fund terror attacks; and Abdul Karim Telgi.
Then there's Saqib Abdul Hameed Nachan, deemed to be the main conspirator in 2002-03 Mumbai serial blasts.
The book shows us how some of these criminals were well-read and used the Internet. SIMI members, for instance, communicated through messages left in the draft folder; and Areeb Majeed, a young boy from Mumbai, used social media to make his way to Syria and join ISIS. Written in an easy, narrative style by investigative journalist S Hussain Zaidi and IPS officer Brijesh Singh, the book is divided into eight chapters. Each tells the story of one criminal mastermind behind a heinous or large-scale crime, lately in the news.

[Pranav Jetley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having always enjoyed reading Hussain Zaidi’s books, ‘Dangerous Minds’ lived up to my expectations. The author takes us into the backgrounds and misdeeds of certain individuals through 8 different stories. The narration is brilliant, and in classic Zaidi style, often reads like a thriller. The research on all aspects of a case is meticulous and presented in a fair and objective manner, which on some level earns the trust of the reader. The authors do a commendable job on raising awareness on a matter that directly or indirectly, affects us all.

For those interested in the genre of organised crime and terrorism, this book is a must read as it takes you behind the curtain of what we see and perceive through mass media. It does so by detailing the circumstances under which certain individuals engage in such nefarious activities, the challenges for modern day law enforcement agencies as well as the risks for society as a whole. For the unacquainted, I would recommend this book simply because it is an eye opener to the dangerous trends prevalent in the 21st century and how something we might be ignorant towards, could be festering around us or under our very noses.

[Mahrukh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

[Ramnath Iyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dangerous Minds is a compilation of what are essentially pen pictures of 7 extremists who have been involved, or strongly suspected of involvement in acts of terror committed in India in the past 15 or so years. The authors provide brief histories of the various protagonists, but writing style is staccato, much of the reasoning suggested behind various actions sounds unsubstantiated or thrown about in an offhand way, and the end result is patchy and reads more like weekend edition tabloid article.

Which is a shame. The authors have had excellent access to the various players in these dramas as part of their day job – one, a crime reporter, and the other, a cop. This knowledge does come through intermittently, and sheds light on the many misses along with the hits that did actually take place, and the usually ever-morphing ring of sidekicks who are assisting the prime movers in their plans. Some portraits are drawn particularly well and make for interesting reading such as the “self-taught in jail” legal eagle Saquib Nachan, who managed to get himself exonerated of various charges, and had the entire village of Padgha defend him against a force sent to capture him, as is the tracing of the actions of a few individuals who formed the core of the SIMI terrorist group in Central and South India. Their bank robberies, executed filmy style, to their realization that this was poor payoff for the risks which led to their focusing on robbing gold from branches of a gold loan company, are very Bollywood-ish. The story on SIMI also features the rare mentions of extreme right Hindu terrorists, who created their own terror in mosques and festivals. But alas, such insights are few and far between, and most of the book is a whirlwind of “x met y and decided to do something to avenge the Muslims” stuff.

The bulk of the episodes relate mostly to the period of 2000-2008, although a few incidents fall outside this time. One thing comes through very clearly though. The demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 looms large in the background of the radicalization of almost each and every one of terrorists mentioned here. But again, there is no suggestion of what can be done to avert this radicalization apart from a few generic statements on how the Islam professed by these extremists is not the real Islam.

There are 8 chapters, but I mentioned that there were 7 extremists. This is because the eighth one, Abdul Telgi, is better seen as a colourful scamster of the highest order who masterminded one of the most audacious scams in Indian history by printing and selling fake stamp papers, in active connivance of multiple politicians as well as law enforcement agencies. But he was no terrorist, so his inclusion in the book is slightly bemusing, although makes for probably the most colourful story (and also the least fear inducing, especially for those of us who are resigned to the existence of corruption but take life-threatening terrorism far more seriously).

[Tamanna Urmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected more psycho-socio analysis. This book was just minimally biographical anecdotes of a few terrorists' crimes.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads # True Crime #Indian Underworld and Terrorism

Some books do not just tell stories; they snatch you by the collar, drag you into the murky underbelly of the world you think you know, and whisper: “You’re not ready for the truth.” Dangerous Minds by S. Hussain Zaidi and Brijesh Singh is exactly that kind of book — a chilling, cerebral journey into the darkest corridors of criminal psychology, laced with the precision of a police dossier and the pulse of noir reportage. It’s not a novel, not entirely a casebook either; it’s a psychological x-ray of minds that have gone rogue, driven by power, ideology, or pure unfiltered madness.

If you have ever picked up Zaidi’s Dongri to Dubai, Byculla to Bangkok, or Mafia Queens of Mumbai, you already know his territory — the chaotic dance of gangsters and guns, the moral ambiguity of Mumbai’s streets, the sheer adrenaline of investigative storytelling. However, Dangerous Minds takes a sharp turn inward.

This time, Zaidi teams up with Brijesh Singh, an IPS officer who’s been on the frontlines of crime investigation, counterterrorism, and cyber policing. Singh brings a bureaucratic brain, a data-driven calm to Zaidi’s pulse-racing prose. Together, they craft something that feels like Mindhunter set in India — except here, the monsters don’t wear masks. They sip cutting chai at nukkads, they type lines of code from plush apartments, they live next door.

The book opens with a subtle unease — not the bang-bang of a Bollywood crime saga, but the unsettling knowledge that crime has evolved. Gone are the flamboyant dons and smuggler barons of the ’70s and ’80s. What we have now are hybrid criminals, shaped by the digital age and global terror networks — part ideologue, part entrepreneur, part psychopath. The tone is investigative yet unnervingly intimate. Every chapter dives into a new “mind” — a killer, a hacker, a radicalized youth — peeling away their motives, their histories, their strange sense of logic.

One of the book’s strengths is its ability to humanize without excusing. Take the case studies Zaidi and Singh present: a mild-mannered software engineer who moonlights as a dark web arms dealer; a student radicalized through encrypted chatrooms; an ordinary man whose brilliance curdled into sociopathy. Each profile is written with a tension between empathy and dread — the authors never lose sight of the fact that these are human beings, but they also don’t let us forget what these minds are capable of. The writing oscillates between clinical precision and moral horror.

There’s a haunting rhythm to how Zaidi describes criminal intelligence — as though intellect itself were a double-edged sword. One senses his fascination with the mind’s potential for evil, the way he sketches patterns of manipulation and deceit. Meanwhile, Singh grounds the narrative with psychological insights and technical details, pulling you into the machinery of law enforcement. He dissects behaviour like a surgeon: what makes a terrorist cell recruit? How does a hacker rationalize the destruction he causes? Why do some people cross the line from anger to ideology?

The duo’s combined narrative voice feels like a dialogue between two worlds — journalism and policing — and somewhere between them, Dangerous Minds achieves a rare authenticity. The stories never feel sensationalized; instead, they carry the eerie stillness of truth. That’s perhaps the most disturbing part — these are not movie villains, these are people who exist, who live in the folds of our modern India, whose motives are a mirror to the anxieties of our time.

One of the most memorable segments explores cybercrime and the rise of the digital underworld. Singh’s background in cyber security brings sharp, chilling realism here — how social engineering can destroy lives, how radical ideologies spread not in madrassas but on message boards, how data becomes the new weapon of choice. Zaidi, ever the master storyteller, translates these cold facts into scenes that crackle with energy — you can almost hear the clicking of keyboards like gunshots in a silent war.

What makes Dangerous Minds so compelling is that it doesn’t just narrate cases; it analyses patterns. It’s a book about why people do what they do, not just what they do. The authors explore the psychology of deviance — narcissism, sociopathy, delusion, indoctrination — and in doing so, they end up mapping the fault lines of an entire society. Modern India here becomes a pressure cooker of inequality, digital alienation, and ideological warfare. Every “dangerous mind” feels like a symptom of something larger — the breakdown of empathy, the rise of extremism, the isolation of intelligence in a world that rewards ruthlessness.

Zaidi’s journalistic eye ensures the pacing never drags. Even as the book deals with heavy psychological material, it reads like a thriller — tight, punchy, cinematic. There’s a stark visual quality to his writing: a flickering bulb in a police interrogation room, the hum of a server farm, a grainy CCTV clip that changes everything. Singh, on the other hand, brings restraint. His portions feel like you’re reading a high-level intelligence briefing, filtered through years of field experience. Together, they build a bridge between the visceral and the cerebral.

One of the things I found most striking was the moral undertone. Zaidi, for all his fascination with the criminal world, never glamorizes it. He shows how intelligence, when untethered from morality, becomes a weapon of chaos. Singh, with his measured tone, echoes this sentiment — suggesting that even the most brilliant criminal minds are ultimately self-destructive. It’s an old truth wrapped in new language: intellect without empathy is just another form of madness.

There’s also a quiet political commentary running beneath the surface. Dangerous Minds isn’t explicitly polemical, but it reflects a country at a crossroads — where technology collides with ideology, and urban ambition brushes up against existential despair. The authors subtly highlight how terrorism today is not always born in training camps or borderlands; sometimes it’s born in loneliness, online anonymity, or the desire to belong. This makes the book deeply contemporary, perhaps even prophetic.

Zaidi’s prose remains magnetic. He has this uncanny ability to turn facts into atmosphere. When he describes an interrogation, it doesn’t feel like reportage; it feels like a psychological duel. His sentences carry that cinematic tension he’s known for — a breathless pacing that makes you feel like you’re sitting inside the mind of both the cop and the criminal. Singh complements this energy with clarity and logic, giving the reader both the adrenaline and the analysis.

The book’s range is wide. From serial killers to cyber terrorists, from organized crime to lone-wolf ideologues, Zaidi and Singh examine how the anatomy of crime has shifted in the 21st century. Their portrayal of terror networks is especially gripping — it shows how ideology and psychology intertwine, how faith can be weaponized, how manipulation works not just through fear but through belonging. These sections are unsettling, because they don’t let you rest in moral simplicity. You begin to see how ordinary human needs — recognition, power, love — can be twisted into monstrous expressions.

Another layer that elevates Dangerous Minds is its implicit conversation with Zaidi’s earlier works. Where Dongri to Dubai traced the rise of organized crime through the lens of economic and political change, Dangerous Minds feels like the spiritual sequel — focusing on the internal landscape of those who now inherit that underworld. The new criminals are not necessarily from the slums of Byculla; they might be university graduates, coders, ideologues, or even failed dreamers. The nature of danger has evolved — from bullets to bytes, from blood to belief.

You sense Zaidi’s admiration for Singh’s real-world insights. The book carries a rare kind of intellectual honesty that comes from cross-pollination — the journalist and the cop agreeing and disagreeing, debating over the anatomy of evil. Their synergy gives the narrative texture; it’s a duet between experience and observation.

Some readers might find the tone too detached at times — especially those expecting a thriller-style pace throughout. But that’s the point. Dangerous Minds refuses to entertain in the traditional sense. It’s not about excitement; it’s about unease. You’re meant to feel that cold knot in your stomach as you read about people who think like machines, who can justify horror through logic.

What stays with you long after the last page is not a particular case or name, but the chilling realization that intelligence itself is neutral — it can save or destroy depending on who wields it. Zaidi and Singh show us how easily brilliance can slide into brutality when morality erodes. And in that sense, the book isn’t just about criminals; it’s about the fragility of civilization itself.

There’s also a kind of strange poetry in how the book connects the ancient and the modern. India, a land that once produced philosophers and saints, now breeds cybercriminals and ideologues — minds that seek transcendence through destruction. This contrast gives the book a mythic undertone, as if Zaidi and Singh are chronicling the new avatars of evil in a digital age.

Stylistically, the writing is taut but never dry. Zaidi’s flair for storytelling ensures accessibility, while Singh’s methodical structure provides weight. The result is a book that you can read both as narrative nonfiction and as a sociological study. It’s rare to find Indian crime writing that manages to be both thrilling and thoughtful — and Dangerous Minds achieves that balance beautifully.

It’s also worth noting how Zaidi’s writing has matured over time. Earlier works like Byculla to Bangkok leaned heavily on anecdotal reportage — colourful, vivid, fast-paced. But Dangerous Minds shows a more contemplative Zaidi, someone willing to pause, to think about why the monsters exist instead of merely chronicling what they do. That evolution mirrors India’s own transformation — from a nation obsessed with underworld glamour to one confronting the quieter, deadlier spectre of ideological and digital crime.

By the time you finish, you can’t help but feel that Dangerous Minds is a mirror to our moment — a time when technology amplifies both intelligence and insanity. Every page reminds you that the line between genius and sociopathy is perilously thin. The real terror isn’t in the gun-toting gangster; it’s in the calm, calculating intellect that believes it can play God.

In the end, Zaidi and Singh don’t offer comfort. They don’t wrap their stories in moral lessons or redemptive arcs. They simply expose, analyze, and move on — leaving the reader to grapple with the uncomfortable question: how safe are we, really, in a world where danger has gone invisible, digital, and psychological?

Dangerous Minds belongs on the same shelf as Misha Glenny’s McMafia, Jon Ronson’s The Psychopath Test, and John Douglas’s Mindhunter, but it has its own distinctly Indian pulse — messy, vibrant, tragic, and terrifyingly real. It captures the psyche of a country caught between modernization and moral decay, where the next threat may not come from the streets of Mumbai but from a server farm in Gurugram or a WhatsApp group in a remote town.

In the canon of Indian true crime, this book is a milestone — not because it shocks, but because it understands. It understands that evil today doesn’t always look like Dawood Ibrahim; sometimes it looks like us, only smarter, colder, lonelier.

Zaidi and Singh’s Dangerous Minds isn’t just a read — it’s an initiation into a darker awareness. It leaves you hyper-aware of the fragility of reason, the malleability of morality, and the uneasy truth that intelligence can be both salvation and doom. In a time when we celebrate intellect, this book reminds us that the mind, untethered, can be the most dangerous weapon of all.

And that’s the real genius of the book — it doesn’t just scare you; it makes you think. It holds a mirror to the intellect, asking: are we really as sane as we believe, or are we just a few bad decisions away from becoming one of the minds Zaidi and Singh warn us about?

Dangerous Minds is that rare hybrid of reportage and reflection — urgent, insightful, and unsettlingly relevant. It deserves to be read slowly, maybe even fearfully, because it whispers a truth most of us would rather not hear: that the monsters of our age don’t hide in shadows anymore. They live in the light, coding, preaching, planning — and they think they’re the heroes.

Try it out.

[Jai Contractor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lahore's Anarkali bazaar draws its name from the grave of courtesan who was buried aive there after Akbar's son Saleem dared to fall in love with her, against the wishes of his father. There is a similar legend surrounding Madanpura. When the scion of a reputed family fell in love with a nautch girl in Nagpada, she sought a large tract of land. The youth, Madan Singh, smitten by her charms and besotted beyond coherence, wrote away his entire estate in her favour. According to the stories, this was towards the end of 18th century, during the British rule. The expansive barren land was gifted to the dancing beauty for one night of pleasure. The gift was christened Madanpura. One of the Mumbai's top historians Deepak Rao disputes the story, calling it legend and not a historical fact.

Converts from Islam from the weaver community, perhaps during the Mughal regime, had adopted the surname Ansari. According to history, ansars (helpers) were respected for their dedication to the promotion of Islam.

The story is that after thirteen years of diligently propogating Islam in Mecca, Prophet Mohammed realized that the Meccans actuallt wanted to kill him, and that Islam would simply not grow deep roots in the city. A few traders from Medina met him in Mecca and offered to support Islam. Subsequently, the Prophet migrated to Medina, where the people accorded a warm welcome to the beleaguered and subjugated Muslims of Mecca. Islam prospered and progressed thanks to the new converts in Medina. So pleased was the Prophet with the people of Medina that he adopted the city as his own and bestowed upon the group of men who had helped him on the mission the title of ansars.

The Maharashtrians added a vernacular flavour to the name, calling these blocks 'chawls', derived from the Marathi chaali, meaning 'corridors'.

Like in other pockets, the radical brand of Islam made inroads into Madanpura too. The Bangali Masjid and Jameah Masjid of the Ahle Hadees community in Madanpura became the centre of the movement in central Mumbai. Their influence and ideological supporters began multiplying. And the first major change they effected was to rechristen the area from Kala Pani to Mominpura. The word Momin in Quran means 'believer'.

The Greek mythological tale of the Trojan War, set in the 12th or 13th century BCE, remains the key lesson in strategy and warfare, for when the Greeks invaded Troy, it was actually the ruse of the Trojan Horse that caused the city to fall. A thousand ships, having achieved nothing, had to pretend to sail home leaving behind a wooden horse that would he dragged into the city of Troy as a triumphial souvenir. Well after nightfall, a small force of Trojans hiding inside the belly of the wooden horse, stepped out, opened the doors of the fortifications for the rest of the army, which sailed right back, making subterfuge a critical weapon in rivalry.

There are moments in a man's life when a woman's consent or conflict is decisive.

'Peace is a fragile thing. It takes wisdom to maintain it and courage to secure it' was once said by Dame Jenny Shipley, then the New Zealand prime minister and the only woman leader of her country.

The red ans silver-capped BEST buses form the largest public transport network in Mumbai, the name derived from the Brihan Mumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, which runs it. Operational since the pre-Independence era in 1926 in southern and central Mumbai, it extended its operations to the western and eastern suburbs only in 1955. Despite the humongous growth in public transport systems, BEST services were considered a safe and convenient mode of travel.

Ladsaab, a rather unique name - was, in fact, a distorted version of the British title 'Lord Sahab'.

Not for nothing are jails known as the cradle of crime. Men with a weakened conscience and a predilection for crime get sucked into a destructive spiral once exposed to hardened criminals.

The idea of esrablishing an Islamic caliphate that would rule the world was a romantic ideal but not without precendence. The empire of Alexander the Great represented but a small fraction of the vast domain of the calipha of Islam during medieval times. Even aftee beinf badly vanquished by Alexander the Great, the Persian Empire successfully resisted Roman domination for a full milennium, but the nascent Islamic caliphate swallowed it in less than a decade !

Historically the Arabs had never exhibited tendencies of empire-building; they were nomads, traders and dreamers. They were also not very stringent about religion, but all this changed with the advent of the Holy Prophet, who abolished all kinds of polytheism and united the Bedouins under the umbrella of Islam. For the first time in history the Arabs were charged with arhis, an overwhelming ambition.

[Pooja Anand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here is another book from Mr. Zaidi which acts like a mirror to the world of terrorism and the terrorists' minds.

Dangerous Minds is a collection of well researched and investigated stories of so called terrorists, their minds, and what makes them choose the dreaded path of global destruction. Though his books seem to be so easy to read and understand, one can gauge with the in-depth details that how much effort and investigation has gone to do justice to every individual. Mr. Zaidi and the co-author have presented a neutral (highly appreciated) view of the circumstances that transform smart youths into dreaded terrorists.

The 8th story about Mehdi, contains so in-depth information about how ISIS utilises Social Media and how the Internet has in a way helped ISIS and other Jihadist organisations in their global reach.

Being a true Journalist, the author has described and written each story neutrally, which helps the readers connect easily with the person being described.

However, in the 1st story, I could see there are lots of date errors. Such as on pg 1 2nd paragraph, it says 27 March 2003 and on pg 11 3rd paragraph it says exactly 13 years later, however it doesn't count to be thirteen years. It could be either a counting error or date error. I could see date reference errors in another story too.

Leaving aside these date errors, the book is an awesome read for all Zaidi readers and for those like me who just love true insights into the world of crime and terrorism.

A great job done.

[Deepa Duraisamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrative non fiction. Not a dramatic edge of the seat thriller. But required reading. If only simply to show how easy it is for someone to get waylaid and get assimilated into the world of propaganda, organized terrorism and crime. With the Internet being what it is today, information available at finger tips and impossible to keep away from, the trends that pull young impressionable minds in will need to be kept in check more than ever.

The book has 8 chapters, on 8 criminal masterminds/individuals recounting their history and induction into the world of terrorism. We say terror does not have a religion, but for all the 8 included here, it flows as an undercurrent throughout. Hard to miss it.

Some aspects are eye openers. Overall, well researched, well compiled and written. From SIMI to ISIS, organized terror is a virus much deadlier than anything ever before, and its fangs and reach just seem to be getting worse. I hope the world reigns in their differences sooner rather than later and works together against such terror forces.

[Aditya Surti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well researched. This book is a collection of life stories of 8 individual criminals (7 terrorists and 1 scamster) born and brought up on the Indian soil. Some observations I would like to make: all 7 terrorists ended up being terrorists for a religious cause; all 8 of them are Muslims (nothing against Muslims especially when the author too is a Muslim),; all 8 of them were radicalized by external sources which could have been avoided; all of them were educated and none of them had families with terrorist backgrounds. I just think that the author who has meticulously researched these subjects should have come up with suggestions on what the government needs to do to avoid individuals like these from becoming terrorists. If the government has the ability to invest in law enforcement mechanisms inflicting punitive measures on these culprits, I wonder if it has done anything to invest resources in preemptive measures to avoid these men from becoming terrorists in the first place.

[Aditi Mukherjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

When discussing terrorism, I am often asked the question - why are most terrorists Muslims? I believe Zaidi's this book 'Dangerous Minds' to a certain extent attempts at answering this question. Seemingly innocent everyday people who work regular jobs in the day and are terrorists at night are baffling criminal profiles to unravel. By throwing light on their personal lives and motivations through painstaking research, Zaidi constructs the profiles of those who disappeared in oblivion after having avenged the injustice to the people of their community. The uniqueness of the book lies in the way Zaidi gives a backdrop to these events (Mumbai blasts, Gujarat riots, ISIS) before describing the individual's character for in many ways, those events played a huge role in radicalizing these terrorists.

[Siddhartha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Zaidi's books, i was pretty disappointed with his previous couple of books, but i had also mentioned that knowing his writing style i look forward to his next. And this time Zaidi is back to his fast-paced, thoroughly researched style. Not only this one explores the mindset of terrorists, it also explains the fact that Islam is not terrorism.
In today's times of quick 2-minute reads, Zaidi beautifully explains in just 2 pages what ISIS actually wants. For me the most exciting part was reading about Telgi. Till now not much is written in print media on this stamp scamster.
Whenever a book is written by multiple authors (like this one), i find it difficult to ascertain which part is written by whom or how do they decide who will take care of which chapter. So would like to appreciate Brijesh Singh equally for this book.

[Vikas Harsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading Zaidi for as long as I can remember and he never fails to disappoint,the years of research and the style of his narrative is what makes me read everything the Author has to offer.

Coming on to the book, it is an absolute gem. I read it overnight and wanted everyone who I'd met along the course of my travels who represented the small portion of the supposed 'rightist ' and show them that this situation we're facing in our hunt to belong to side in a country filled with too many religions to bother counting is the deep embedded reason of the violent attempts made by a bunch of fanatics to make a point.
Living together as one,united is our best chance to beat a bunch of radicalised group of men and women who in this progressive race,towards growth and satisfaction , want to sow the seeds of their hate.

[Sharang Limaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zaidi has written better books. Islamic terror is not his forte. Still, this is a solid attempt at chronicling some disturbing events from the viewpoint of a bunch of misguided individuals. Zaidi, along with his co-author Brijesh Singh, must have pored over tons of legal/police documents to piece together the narrative, and deserves kudos for his effort. I have always felt that story-telling is not this writer's strong suit. He is great at getting the facts right and then the intrinsically captivating nature of his subject matter does the rest. This phenomenon is evident here too. Zaidi's way is to flood his reader with facts that are very loosely strung together narratively, a hangover of his long days as a crime reporter perhaps. It's a style that has worked with more compelling subject matter; here the shortcoming is a little more evident.

[Ashwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zaidi’s writing feels like it’s lost some of its edge. Maybe the subject matter has been covered so heavily over the years that there’s not much depth left to mine. A lot of the details read like page-fillers for example, saying a terrorist bought three SIM cards is enough, but here we even get the exact numbers, which adds nothing.

What bothered me more is that Zaidi avoids questioning the actions of the Mumbai police. In some cases, even when someone has been honourably acquitted, he still frames them as terrorists, which is unfair at best.

Then out of nowhere we get Telgi, who doesn’t even fit the category, while the remaining eight profiles are all Muslim and limited to the 2000–2008 period, as if no other dangerous men existed outside that window.

Overall, it’s an average read, but still engaging enough to get through.

[Nikhil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very average book both in terms of content and style of writing. The author seems to be stuck in his newspaper days and the writing style echoes that.

A fairly narrative style which lays out the facts rather than any analysis or insight into the minds of these terrorists as the title claims. To me, the absolute lack of insight into these terror masterminds was the most disappointing aspect of the book.

It also goes into long winding narrations on the global terror machinations and veers off track every now and then.

One also wonders at the choice of terrorists e.g. instead of the head of IM’s media cel, might have been better to cover the story of the Bhatkal brothers. Further, how Telgi fits the bill of terrorist is a bit unclear as well.

[Ashish Vijay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a huge fan of Mr. S Hussain Zaidi; so when I came across this one I immediately grabbed it up and started reading it. To be honest – this one is as not as gripping as his previous works but still it kept me hooked till the very end. The book has been divided into eight chapters – each focusing on a different individual and taking us through his life journey. What makes “Dangerous minds” stand out from the lot is the quantum of research and detailed analysis which has been put into these eight stories – applause to the author duo for such in-depth investigation for doing justice to the narrative of each individual. As a whole - this one is a recommended read for everyone who wants an insight into the world of crime and terrorism.

[Abrar Mahmoud(Ameer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dangerous minds will delve into the complex and intricate lives of some of the most talked about terrorists of the country. Dr. jalees ansari, a doctor from malegaon involved in eighty blasts, including some on railway tracks,was supposed to be a quiet,peace-loving medical profession. Fahmida ansari, a housewife and a mother of the two from jogeshwari slums of northwest mumbai, physically planted the bombs herself in a bus and taxis and returned home as if nothing had happened. What drove them to such violent designs?What were their compulsions?Can a human being so ruthless and heartless, and why?

You should read this book.This book will open up your mind.The book will explore the lives,early beginnings,career and sudden transformation of such persons into merchants of death.

[Harsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth dramatised analysis of how some of the brightest minds in the country turned jihadis. The stories are gripping, surreal and well narrated. What strikes you most is the detailed analysis of each of their mindset and the events that led to their conversion.
S.Hussain Zaidi and Brijesh Singh have probably spent hours hunting for, meeting with and transcribing details of conversations with policemen, other journalists and friends and families of the individuals.
An engrossing and thrilling weekend read. You will not be disappointed.

[Pratap Padhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An analytical insight into the minds and making of some dreaded terrorists and criminals in India. In most of these cases these young and educated minds were poisoned by religious bigots by inducing them with a feeling of injustice and discrimination caused against Islam. It is really unimaginable as to how a logical and intelligent mind can be so indoctrinated and infected to volunteer for bloodshed and destruction. Can hatred and cruelty be the preaching of any religion.... hell with such middlemen of God and their blind followers.

[Anil Dhingra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nonfiction, collection of 8 different criminals, their lives, the reason for the life of crime, details of the investigation, arrest and punishment awarded.
The author has sourced from various government documents and personal interviews to provide accurate accounts in each of the chapters.
Interesting if to find the cops and the politicians themselves getting involved in the crimes and getting nabbed.
After a few chapters the storytelling becomes monotonous especially the last 2 chapters appear forced. Hence the 3 stars.

[Siddharth Iyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grim and Dangerous

Hussain Zaidi's writting is as usual fast paced and keeps you hooked. The style of writing would ensure you finish the book straight in 1 or 2 sittings. But personally I am not a big fan of this factual - non- fictional writting style as it does not give you much background or plot building as a fictional story does.

This book is not as good as some of Zaidi's previous but definitely worth a one time read.

[Alam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ziadi is blunt about the content and there is thoroughness and purity in his work.

It is a must-read book for all youth, particularly of the Muslim community to understand how the terror outfits have nothing to do with the religion. In fact, this book validates that terrorism is just business and innocent and emotional people fall prey to their diabolic ideology.

[Nimish Nandurkar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives a clear insight on how people transform into a terrorist. It unfolds the story of eight homegrown terrorists and what mindset they were in enroute the journey of becoming the "most wanteds". The author is a notorious crime journalist who has researched very deep to write this part. A good non-fiction material to read if you're interested.

[Muskan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It definitely didn't deserve to be ignored as it did for long hours. It was kind of eye opening in terms that we have mostly been sleeping with the subject of increasing terrorism all over the world. For all those people who get attracted by how high level crimes get operated and how invisible and normal can terrorists appear, it is an appealing story.

[Saurabha Thakar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is like an anthology with terrorism in India as the underlying theme: seems like a collection of magazine articles, rather than a book.
The earlier ones are simply riveting and read like an edge of the seat thriller. It peaks out at the 5th 'case' and then sort of declines: however, it could also be a function of real versus virtual man-hunts.

[Vaibhav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a collection on what are thought be the masterminds responsible for many terrorist activities, but this time not just limited to Bombay blast cases, but across all over India. Some of the stories mentioned are converted into docu-series or movies and are popular while.

Overall it's a fast paced, comprehensive and feel exciting to read.

[Anirudh Pai · Rating 4 out of 5]

First non fiction read of the year.
The book being set in the close past made it interesting to read.
Makes you think about how innocent minds turn, making stupid decisions. How they'd have been brain-washed to join the idea of jihad.

[Ujjwal karn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the book so much. The initial chapters contained some good information and details but later it just became static. I was expecting more details on the mindset which led them to choose the path but details seemed missing. I would rate it 2.5

[Syed Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a one time read.

After few stories , I felt it's going monotonous in same line..

Wish more skill oriented people of different field would have added.

Only terrorist and ISis Jaish LEt were repeated again and again..