Dawood calls: Eknath Khadse says he has info from Pakistan

Three days after the Mumbai police issued a statement that revenue minister Eknath Khadse’s call records did not reflect any calls received from or made to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s residence in Pakistan, officials have called for new call records from the telecom service provider attached to Mr Khadse’s number.

The development comes after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which had first approached the police alleging Mr Khadse had been in touch with Dawood, alleged that the calls were received during January-April 2015. The police had checked call record details for the period between September 2015 and April 2016. “The AAP (initially) came to us with the information that a hacker had call records of Dawood’s alleged landline number and we launched our own investigation. We checked the call record details for the period of September 2015 to April 2016.

“We found no such calls were made from the minister’s number nor were such calls received to the number,” said Mumbai police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar.

Meanwhile, Mr Khadse on Wednesday said he has got information from Pakistan about his alleged conversation on a phone number belonging to Dawood’s wife, Mehjabeen Shaikh.

“I have got information from Pakistan about who is Mehjabeen Shaikh, her residential address claimed by the hacker. I have given the information to Mumbai police and the truth will soon come to light. I have told police to bring the reality before the people,” he said. Mr Khadse said he had got the information with the help of BJP MLC Gurumukh Jagwani, who has relatives in Karachi, Pakistan.

The issue hit the headlines after a Gujarat-based hacked Manish Bhangale claimed he had hacked into the Pakistan Telecommunications Limited and obtained call records of four landlines registered under the name of Mehjabeen Shaikh. These numbers are based out of Dawood’s alleged bungalow in Clifton area of Karachi.

On Tuesday, AAP workers again visited the Mumbai police and told them the calls were made in 2015. “They told us that the call records they had, showed that the calls were received during January-April 2015. We have now contacted the telecom service provider again and asked them to furnish details of the said months,” Mr Padsalgikar said. He added since these records are more than a year old, the company has asked for time to obtain the same. “We will check the details and only then be able to comment on the issue,” he said.