The other tragedy is the 26/11 Mumbai attacks executed by Pakistani terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, which killed 166 people in 2008. The LeT is accused of carrying out a spate of attacks across India – to wear India down as part of its strategy of attrition. LeT lures gullible youth for ‘just war’ in the name of dubious propaganda and ‘propaganda of the deed’. It was set up in 1987 by Hafiz Saeed with the stated aim of attaining a theocratic, universal state through ‘preaching’ and ‘armed struggle’. Its armed cadre got their first taste of combat in Kunar, Afghanistan, as part of the armed struggle against the Soviet Union. Over the years, it has acquired the reputation of being the alleged irregular special forces unit of Pakistani intelligence.

During my two-decade career as a crime reporter, I have seen – and felt – the ruinous impact of terror attacks. I cannot erase from my memory the sight of mangled body parts lying among charred metal pieces at blast sites. When I learn about a terror attack in any part of the world, the voice of a young mother, whom I met eighteen years ago, still reverberates in my ears. I can hear the desperation and the helplessness in her words. She had lost her husband, a cab driver, in the twin blasts that rocked Mumbai in 2003. But she could not afford the luxury to grieve as she had to make sure her young school-going children survived the trauma of losing their loving father.  Her husband had had dreams of making them doctors or lawyers, and paying their school fees demanded her immediate attention.

Operation Trojan Horse is the story of India’s fight against Pakistan-sponsored terror in the country. The Indian response is proactive and precise. The book is a work of fiction inspired by instances of supreme courage and sacrifice exhibited by a few young men who became part of secret projects like ‘Operation Trojan Horse’, choosing national service over lucrative careers to blunt terror. These men must remain nameless in the face of their invaluable sacrifice. The ‘Trojan Horse’ was a hollow wooden horse crafted by the Greeks to conceal themselves in and deceptively enter the city of Troy during the Trojan War.

Mr D.P. Sinha has been an exemplary, upright police officer and has an acclaimed record in counter-terror/intelligence operations. I am grateful to him for having faith in me and collaborating with me to bring out this reality-based fiction based on the world of shadows. Working with two brilliant editors, Siddhesh Inamdar and Shreya Dhawan, has been an absolute pleasure. They have enriched the book with their editing. I thank Siddhesh for believing in the book’s premise from Day 1 and working towards being on the same page thereafter.