Rocky Fall From Grace

Salem has given detailed accounts of how he transported the arms to Dutt's bungalow, adding that his aide, Riaz Siddiqui, accompanied him. ATS chief joint commissioner K.P. Raghuvanshi told the media that the confession, recorded on January 2, has been forwarded to the TADA court. Dutt's office, when contacted, was unwilling to comment, saying "the case is subjudice".

In his 1993 statement to the police—which he later withdrew—Dutt had admitted to Salem being at his house. He had described how he was introduced to Dawood Ibrahim in '91 while shooting for Feroz Khan's Yalgaar, to meeting Dawood's brother Anees, and also Iqbal Mirchi, Sharad Shetty and Chhota Rajan. He said he knew Anees well. It was after the Bombay riots that he had talked to businessman Hanif Kadawala and Samir Hingora (both with underworld links) about threats to his father, Sunil Dutt. They promised to arrange for automatic weapons. It was Samir, Hanif and Abu Salem who delivered three AK-56 rifles and 250 rounds of ammunition. "I kept the rifles and ammunition in the boot of my Fiat car (MMU 4372) and locked it.... The pressure was too much and two days later, I contacted Hanif Kadawala and requested him to take the weapons back," Dutt had recorded in his statement.

As it happened, Dutt withdrew the statement later. But Salem's confession has nailed him more than anything he himself could have said.