"My Conversations With Dawood Ibrahim" continues...

The conversation was not only recorded by me but heard in real time as well on speakerphone with no one else present in my office except Lala.

Manish Lala first called Sunil Sawant a.k.a. Sautya (‘Defence Minister’ of D-company) who in turn contacted Iqbal (Dawoods’ younger brother). Iqbal brought Dawood on line using conference facility. A fairly long telephone call between Manish Lala and Dawood Ibrahim ensued. Lala, after relating to D the sequence of events leading up to his coming in CBI custody, reassured Dawood that he himself (Manish) had seen how fair and considerate the CBI was to him. Lala further told D it was time for him (Dawood) to come out in the open and present his case to the CBI. Dawood did not sound averse to the idea. Lala then asked him whether he would be willing to speak with the DIG in whose custody he had voluntarily come. Dawood agreed readily and thereafter followed long dialogues between the don and me on three different occasions: on June 10, June 20 and June 22, 1994.

My first conversation started with him on June 10,1994 on a rather awkward note. Maintaining my officiousness, I asked him: ‘‘Haan batayiye, aap mujhe kuch batana chahte hain,
jaisa Manish ne mujhe kaha hai.’(Yes, I understand from Manish that you have something to tell
me. Please go ahead).

The don responded: ‘Saheb, iske pehle ki main kuch bataoon, pehle aap batayiye ki aapko
kya lagta hai ki maine Bombay mein blast karwayen hain?’ (Sahib, before I tell you anything, would you please tell me whether you too feel that I organized the blasts in Bombay?)

‘Sawaal ka jawab aap sawaal sey de rahey hain. Mujhe kya lagta hai ye mayaney nahin rakhta. Agar aap kuch kehna chahte hain to kahiye,’ (You are answering my question by asking a counter question. What I feel is of no consequence. If you have something to tell me, please go ahead), I retorted.

To be continued...