“Gifts from the Gulf” continues…

On January 22, 2002 Director, CBI PC Sharma hosted a breakfast at Hotel Ashok for Robert S. Mueller, the then Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who was visiting Delhi. I too was invited and was seated next to the then Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande. As the meeting proceeded, I overheard an aide whisper into Pande’s ears that the American Centre at Kolkata had been attacked by terrorists. The name Farhan Malik figured in the muted conversation between the Home Secretary and his aide. I thought I must get going right away as, willy-nilly, I was privy to plenty of disparate bits of information that all seemed to add up. Taking leave of the Director after apprising him of the developments, I rushed to my office in the CGO complex on Lodhi Road.

I was soon on line with Rajeev Kumar, Special Superintendent of Police (CID) of West Bengal, based in Kolkata. Rajeev had remained in touch with me for some time prior to this incident in connection with the sensational kidnapping of Partha Pratim Roy Burman, Chairman-cum- Managing Director of Khadim Shoes in July 2001. Rajeev had done extensive legwork on the kidnapping case and interrogated Asif Raza Khan in Rajkot. He had heard hours of recorded conversation between Aftab, negotiating the ransom amount from Dubai, and the Burman family. He had obtained a scanned copy of Aftab’s Pakistani passport and had all its details, which he had shared with Interpol, Delhi and me. He had informed me that Aftab had a passport issued from the Regional Passport Office in Patna. I had deputed an officer to proceed to Patna and seize Aftab’s original passport file in CBI’s Santalpur Arms Case.

To be continued…