""Ayeessa Kya?" (Is it so?)" continues...

He was moved to the office of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Daryaganj.

We at the Exchange were oblivious of what had transpired at Jama Masjid. There had been no feedback from our officers on the ground which, we hoped, was a good sign. No news, in all probability, meant good news. There was no point in waiting at the Exchange any longer. As we prepared to leave, a hand-held wireless set at the Exchange came to life. In a message that was as garbled as baby-talk, we deciphered that Latif had been caught and brought to the ACP’s office.

We were there in no time. Abdul Latif Abdul Wahab Sheikh stood before us in flesh and blood. A Gujarat Police officer caught his jaw and forced his mouth open revealing his stained set of teeth. A front gold-tooth confirmed his identity. During the brief interrogation that followed, he admitted that
he indeed was Latif.

When I called my Special Director Arun Bhagat, his response said it all. ‘‘‘Don’t tell me you have got Latif?’’’ he asked excitedly and incredulously. ‘‘‘We have Sir’’’, I replied triumphantly. He came to Daryaganj Police Station immediately to see for himself our precious catch. Wanted in numerous heinous cases, it was taken for granted that Latif was hiding in Pakistan, enjoying the hospitality of
Dawood et al and the ISI, beyond the reach of the Indian law.

Kuldip informed his bosses and his Chief Minister. The catch meant the world to Gujarat. Kuldip had by then decided to take Latif by air to Ahmedabad the following morning by a flight that left in the early hours. The Director General of Police, Gujarat was keen that I too went along. He spoke with my Special Director and requested him to let me come with the Gujarat Police team escorting Latif to Ahmedabad.

So there I was, having snatched only a few winks of sleep that night, with bleary eyes, on the 5.45 AM Indian Airlines flight to Ahmedabad.

To be continued...