Extradited underworld don Abu Salem, a main accused in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, is willing to turn an approver if the Central Bureau of Investigation responds positively, his lawyer Ashok Sarawgi said Friday night. "I talked to him in detail on this issue. He says he is innocent.
But even if he is not involved, he knows who are all involved and what all happened. I asked him if you could turn an approver and he said if it works out like that I am willing to think about it," the lawyer told India TV. Salem had once been an associate of another underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. But CBI sources have so far maintained that the agency has enough evident to proceed against Salem and there is no need for it to make Salem to become an approver.
Sarawgi said Salem admitted that he knew about the modus operandi of the gang with which he had been associated in the past. "It is possible that Salem can provide information about certain persons whose names never cropped up before and come up with information which either CBI or the police never knew," the lawyer said. "But CBI should come up with some response to our plea. Only if CBI does that can we file an application in the court pleading that Salem is willing to turn an approver," he added.
Sarawgi said Salem told him that he can turn an approver and give all the information he has and cooperate with CBI. "Definitely, he has information. But I did not go into the details as it would not be proper on my part to seek the details. It is the duty of the prosecution to find them out," he said.