Jasoosi Dunya (The Spy World) is a best-selling series of Urdu spy novels created by Ibne-Safi. The first novel, Dilaer Mujrim was published in March 1952. In the following 27 years, Safi wrote 127 books in the series with his last Jasoosi Dunya novel, Sehra’ee Deewaanah appearing in July 1979, a year before his death.
The series mainly spotlights Inspector (later Colonel) Faridi and Sergeant (later Captain) Hameed, although four initial books were focused purely on Anwar and Rasheeda. Interestingly, the later were introduced as the former two were away on a visit to Europe. Then, Inspector Faridi and his assistant Hameed returns to become permanent feature of Jasoosi Dunya with Anwar and Rasheeda occasionally appearing helping Faridi with his investigations.
A model of rectitude and obsessed with his detective-work, Ahmed Kamal Faridi is a no-nonsense aristocrat who loathes crime and is much resolute in expunging the criminals. He possesses the qualities of a superman.
Sergeant Sajid Hammed is Faridi’s most favoured assistant and trusted partner. There intimacy leads them to live together in Faridi’s house. The two are inseparable. Nonchalant, mischievous and having a spirit doused in romantic bits, Hameed constantly brings smiles to the readers’ faces.
Qasim is another comical and brainless wacky buffoon who yields irresistible occasions of laughter.
The central idea and theme of Safi’s first book was taken from Victor Gunn’s novel Ironside’s Lone Hand. However, the key characters, Faridi and Hameed, were Ibn-e-Safi’s own creation. As mentioned by the author in the preface to one of his books, the plots of Purasrar Ajnabee , Raqqasaa Ka Qat’l , Heeray Ki Kaan , and Khoonee Patthar were adopted from various English-language novels. The characters of Professor Durrani from Khaufnaak Hangaama , and Chimpanzee and the White Queen from Pahaaroan Ki Malikaa were also borrowed from English literature. The rest of Ibne-Safi’s novels are pure and original. Jasoosi Dunya used to be published simultaneously from Pakistan and India.