Rao allegedly struck a deal of Rs five lakh with some Home Department officials to reinstate at least 12 officials who were suspended in a case related to the Rajan gang, the conversaion says.

The conversation took place when Rao was in Central Prison at Arthur Road in Mumbai serving a 10-year jail term and was in illegal possession of a mobilephone, Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed while presenting the transcript of the conversation as an evidence of Rao's alleged nefarious activities in the chargesheet filed under MCOCA against him.

In his conversation with Rajan on September 26, 2005, Rao informed his boss about the payment of Rs 5 lakhs he made to the home department officials to get the 12 police officials reinstated.

These officials were suspended in "O P" affair, he adds, apparently hinting at the murder of Rajan gangster O P Singh by own gang members inside the Nasik jail in 2003.

Rao in the conversation claims that the reinstated officials were of the ranks of superintendents and senior inspectors.

Rao's cellphone was kept under surveillance between September and November 2005, after which he was booked under MCOCA.

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Sidhram Mhetre on Thursday said he had no "connection whatsoever" with postings of police officials as mentioned in the purported tapped conversation between gangster D K Rao and underworld don Chhota Rajan.

"I am not aware of any such incident nor am I involved in any such incident," the minister told reporters after his attention was drawn to the name of one Sitaram Mhetre appearing in the transcripts of the conversation.

The transcripts of the conversation were placed by Mumbai Police in a local court in connection with a case against Rao arrested recently under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime.