There were other treasures besides fake documents in Yakub Memon 's now famous briefcase. Among these was a Sony micro-cassette on which Yakub secretly recorded a conversation in Karachi. The transcript of the tape was part of the supplementary charge-sheet filed by the CBI in the TADA court in Bombay last fortnight.

India Today confirmed a portion of the tape with lawyer Ram Jethmalani. Dawood Ibrahim did ring Jethmalani in London sometime last year. Says Jethmalani: "Dawood told me he is totally innocent and uninvolved in the bomb blasts. I told him he should surrender and face trial. He said he was willing, but on two conditions. One, that he would only be tried for the bomb blasts and not earlier cases. And two, that he would get bail and physical protection since the trial could go on for years. He didn't mind being under house arrest." Since Jethmalani was in London, his son Mahesh contacted Bombay Joint Police Commissioner M.N. Singh.



Says Mahesh Jethmalani: "Singh said the chief minister would have to be informed. Since I didn't hear from him, I contacted Sharad Pawar. He (Pawar) called Singh and Samra (then police commissioner) for a meeting. They were willing to ensure his security, but not the rest. Pawar said he would have to consult the prime minister. He never got back to me after that."

The transcript sounds credible, though a strange fact stands out: known to be very gregarious, Tiger Memon hardly speaks. Why? Did he know Yakub was taping the conversation? Was he aware of the other Memons' plans? Tantalising questions.

The Memon Tape:

May 19, 1994: Around 10 p.m.

Taufiq Siddique Jaliawala, Syed Arif (another Pakistani smuggler who helped the ISI in the bomb blasts conspiracy), Tiger Memon, and his brothers Suleman, Yakub and Ayub Memon are sitting in the garden of the Memons' house in Karachi, chatting in Urdu. The occasion is a dinner for the birthday of Mohammed, Tiger's son. Tiger has just returned from Dubai, where he met Arif. The women are inside the house and Yakub's father Abdul Razzak has also gone in.

Tiger (to Arif): I had to go to Dubai, so I called you. I spoke to your missus and was told it wasn't okay to disturb you.

Taufiq enquires about Abdul Razzak. Yakub replies that his father wants to rest.

Yakub: He wanted to confirm whether it was all true.

Taufiq: Now there is nothing to worry about. What can be confirmed from us? Even tougher agencies than ours could not get a confession.

Tiger: There is just one hot topic these days in Dubai, that Mustafa (Tiger's family nickname) and Arif dominate everything in Dubai.

Yakub (asking Taufiq): Is it safe to go there (Dubai) now?

Taufiq: No, no. Tiger should move very carefully. You people don't have a problem though.

Yakub: Muchchad (Dawood) will go. It is not a problem for him.

They then talk about others in hiding.

Arif: Your social life will become normal here too.

Taufiq: Apart from Dubai, you can freely go anywhere in the world. Did you get your passports and ID cards?

Yakub: Yes. Farook (Taufiq's son-in-law) came and gave them. He was a little busy with the wedding.

Taufiq: Did everyone get them? Now we have to see that everyone gets their original cards. The passports made are original. The I-cards are not right.

Yakub: But they are all dated after March 12, 1993. Why didn't they backdate them?

Taufiq: They couldn't have been made. Otherwise they would have done it.

Yakub: It cannot be a big deal for them. They all hold high posts. It could be difficult for others. Is it for them too?

Taufiq: It's difficult. The record can't be created.

Arif (to Suleman): Aftab bhai will take you to Bombay.

Suleman: Inshallah, I will definitely go. I often go in my dreams. I will definitely go.



Talk of phone tapping instruments goes on.

Taufiq: Muchchad spoke for an hour-and-a-half to Ram Jethmalani. He kept talking. A private guy played the entire tape for us. He was a man known to us.

Yakub: Where did he call from? From Dubai? From his house? From where?

Taufiq: Arre, from here. He spoke on his mobile phone to London. But he didn't say anything amiss.

Yakub: He used his own name and spoke for one-and-a-half hours?

Taufiq: Ram Jethmalani is a lawyer. He can speak to anyone. How would he know where he (Dawood) was calling from?

Taufiq: They have allowed you freedom because they have no tension from you. We have this information. Muchchad is under more pressure and fear, because he is a marked man. He's become a problem. Muchchad can do anything for his own advantage.

In between, Arif sees Yakub's father coming out and says: "Kaka Abdul Razzak is close by. So be careful."

Taufiq: Eijaz's cassettes also reach me. (Eijaz Pathan is a Dawood aide, now in Karachi.) He speaks to Bombay etc. He doesn't get to know.



Replying to questions on the ISI.

Taufiq: India is not afraid of Pakistan. It is ISI they are scared of. They have a lot of patience.

The conversation turns to Tiger.

Arif (to Taufiq): Yaar, tell him now, since he listens to you, to lie low for a while.

Taufiq: No, I wouldn't want it at all. These things should keep happening.

Conversation resumes.

Taufiq: You people (the family) are not required by them (the Indian authorities). Khuda ki kasam, they just want one man (Dawood). About six to eight days ago, on the BBC, they announced rewards of Rs 15 lakhs for two men. Did you hear Tiger?

No response from Tiger.

Yakub (to Taufiq): There, in Dubai, your name isn't being mentioned at all.

Taufiq: In Dubai? Arre, a lot. It became known just four days later. You people came here (to Karachi) and that was it, everyone got to know. It wasn't a good thing to happen.

Yakub: We arrived on the 17th.

Taufiq: Understood hai na yaar, everyone has come to know in Dubai.

Yakub: Yes. And you were talked about on the phone also. In Bombay, Asghar (Tiger's manager) spoke to Munna and he must have told him.

Taufiq: Who are Munna, Asghar?

Tiger: No, no. Asghar knows nothing about you.

Taufiq: No, no. No one knows in Bombay but everyone in Dubai knows. (Turns to Arif.) It's almostout in Dubai, isn't it Arif bhai, my name?

Arif: Yes, yes. That's the reality.

Taufiq: But I haven't had a problem so far.

Arif: Even people who till yesterday did not acknowledge (Taufiq), now as soon as they meet, (they say) salaam Taufiq bhai. Everyone says Seth Taufiq, Haji Taufiq.

Taufiq: Before the wedding, the whole of Dubai was agog with news that there is a wedding in my house, RAW, CBI, IB, all had orders to get reports.

In reply to Arif saying that by now Indian agencies know Taufiq's "respectable image in society and government" and so cannot touch him.

Taufiq: No, no, no. They don't want to do anything to me. They want to get others through me.

Arif: But before laying their hands on anyone, won't they consider who they are dealing with?

Yakub (to Taufiq): Indian intelligence got to know everything and they have clearly revealed how it all happened. Taufiq: Not a thing. They have just cooked up a story.

"Are you planning to introduce Tiger to Ammullah Khan?"



Yakub: They have very correctly named ISI.

Tiger: ISI didn't know a thing. They didn't know a thing till Friday (March 12, 1993, the day of the blasts).

Yakub: This is how the ISI functions. On the one hand they get things done, and on the other, they say, oh, did it happen?

Taufiq: Yaar, we know of it because we have done it. I mean, I knew this much because the two of us did everything together. Yes, this much the ISI knew that the target could be hit any time.

As if to cut short the discussion, Arif abruptly interrupts.

Arif: What does ISI mean? Isn't it International Sports Agency? We see it on TV every hour.

Arif (again): It's okay. Everything's true.

Yakub: Tiger did not even give us the slightest hint of what he was doing.

Taufiq: But think how the isi got the news. Tell us.

Ayub: In February itself, intelligence (Indian) had put out an alert. It came in die papers too. Four people were named also.



Tiger: Yes, that Thapa one day came from Bombay to the coast (Konkan). He stood on the seashore. I said, will you go or not? Thapa said, yaar, I learned that someone was unloading goods. That's why I've come here. Thapa said, yaar, I'll go back in your car and drop me right at Persian Darbar hotel.

Taufiq: Mar gaya saala! Mar gaya bichara!

Tiger: But after all, he took Rs 22 lakh for delivering the silver. He saw it with his own eyes and said yes, this is silver but the bundles are looking big, yaar.



Talk turns to the Bombay riots and the role of politicians. (Details not given in the CBI transcript.)

Taufiq: I have to meet S.M. Jafar (an advocate) in Lahore. S.M. Jafar is the one who fought AmanuIIah Khan's case. Arif: Are you planning to introduce Tiger to AmanuIIah Khan?

Ayub: What's the use? Taufiq: Introduce him?

Arif: In fact, I consider that Tiger has already been AmanuIIah saab's guest. The days when he was in hiding in Dubai, he was staying in AmanuIIah Khan's house. Though he probably didn't know.