Pak judicial panel begins work in 26/11 case today

SECURITY FOR THE GUESTS: The hotel on Marine Drive where the Pakistani team stayed on Monday

Lawyers Here To Cross-Examine Four Witnesses 

 

Rebecca Samervel, Pratibha Masand & Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Four witnesses in the 26/11 terrorist attack case will be cross-examined from Tuesday by lawyers who are part of an eight-member judicial commission from Pakistan. 

    The commission made up of four defence counsels, two officers of the anti-terror court in Rawalpindi, where the trial is on, and two public prosecutors arrived in the city on Sunday.    Additional chief metropolitan magistrate P Y Ladekar will record the evidence in the Esplanade court, on behalf of the Rawalpindi court. 

    Special public prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam will represent the Governent of India.
    The four witnesses to be cross-examined are police investigating officer Ramesh Mahale, magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, Dr Shailesh Mohite and Dr Ganesh Nithurkar.    Mahale had filed the chargesheet in the terror case, Waghule had recorded the confessional statement of terrorist Ajmal Kasab and the doctors had conducted autopsies of the nine other terrorists.  “The procedure will continue for the next two to three days,” Nikam said. 

    Court sources said there would be high security for the commission and nobody other than those directly involved with the matter would be allowed inside the courtroom.    An earlier judicial commission from Pakistan had recorded the statements of the witnesses in March last year. The commission, including five advocates representing the seven persons charged with conspiracy in the 26/11 attack on the city, two Pakistani public prosecutors and a court officer, was not allowed to cross-examine the witnesses. 

    The Rawalpindi court had refused to accept the statements on the grounds that a trial was incomplete without cross-examination by the defence.   Earlier this year, a four-member delegation from the country consisting of Nikam, two senior officials of the ministry of home affairs and an official from the ministry of external affairs visited Pakistan and held discussions on the matter.
    “The commission was delayed after the public prosecutor in the case was shot dead in Pakistan in May,” Nikam said. 

    Dr Shailesh Mohite, head of forensic medicine at Nair Hospital, who agreed that cross-examination was important. “Even they (Pakistani commission) have to show evidence in their courts,” he said.
 

FROM ACROSS THE BORDER
THE VISITING PAK JUDICIAL COMMISSION MEMBERS|There are in all eight members. Four are defence counsels, two public prosecutors and two judicial officials from Rawalpindi involved in the trial for the 26/11 terror conspiracy  

MISSION|Crossexamination of Indian witnesses 

 

 

 THE FOUR TO BE CROSS-EXAMINED
Ramesh Mahale Police investigating officer. Interrogated Kasab and his handler Abu Jundal alias Zabihuddin Ansari. Filed the chargesheet in the special court, along with statements of over 400 witnesses, including victims from abroad. The 57-year-old opted for voluntary retirement a few months ago
 

RV Sawant Waghule Additional chief metropolitan magistrate who recorded Kasab’s confessional statement on Feb 21, 2009. She had appeared before the earlier Pakistani judicial commission
 

Dr Shailesh Mohite Professor, head of forensic medicine dept, BY Nair Hospital. Led a team of five that carried out autopsies on 22 bodies. Conducted post-mortem on Abu Ismail, the terrorists’ group leader who attacked CST with Kasab
 

Dr Ganesh Nithurkar Lecturer, forensic medicine dept, JJ Hospital, and assistant professor. Performed round-theclock autopsies with nine others on 120 bodies, including those of eight terrorists, over four days THE 

 

TERROR ATTACK
WHEN Night of Nov 26 to morning of Nov 29 in 2008
ATTACKERS 10 Pakistanis (nine killed; Ajmal Kasab captured alive and hanged) 

 

 PLACES TARGETED|Leopold Cafe, CST, Cama Hospital, Taj Mahal hotel, Trident hotel, Nariman House, besides gunfire on streets and an explosion each at Mazgaon and Vile Parle
 

DEATHS
166
(including 18 foreigners)

The Times of India, September 24, 2013

Four 26/11 witnesses ready for Pak grilling

  

CST after the attack on 26/11

Go-Ahead Given For 2nd Judicial Commission

 

Mateen Hafeez, Sumitra Deb Roy & Rebecca Samervel TNN

Mumbai: Expectations of the 26/11 attacks trial in Pakistan moving forward grew in the city after Delhi forwarded aBombay high court order allowing a Pakistani judicial commission to cross-examine four witnesses. 

    India has also sent certified copies of statements of all the four witnesses — investigating officer Ramesh Mahale, magistrate R V Sawant Waghule, doctors Shailesh Mohite and Ganesh Nithurkar — to Islamabad. Pakistan will produce these documents before its anti-terror court in Rawalpindi and decide on the date of visit of its judicial commission.
 

Mahale had filed the chargesheet in the terror case, Waghule recorded the confessional statement of Ajmal Kasab and the doctors had conducted autopsies of the nine other terrorists.
An earlier judicial commission from Pakistan had recorded the statements of the witnesses in March last year. The commission, including five advocates representing the seven persons charged with conspiracy in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, two Pakistani public prosecutors and a court officer, was not allowed to crossexamine the witnesses.
 

    The Rawalpindi court had refused to accept the statements on the grounds that a trial is incomplete without cross-examination by defence.
 

    “A few months ago, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam visited Pakistan and had adiscussion with his Pakistani counterparts on this issue,” said Mahale, who quit the police force voluntarily on May 23 this year.
    Mahale played a key role in the investigations, having interrogated Kasab and his handler Abu Jundal alias Zabihuddin Ansari. He filed the chargesheet in the special court, along with statements of over 400 witnesses, including victims from abroad.  “I have done my job and am ready for cross-examination. Let the panel come and we will tell about our investigation,” said Mahale.
    Magistrate Waghule had recorded Kasab’s confession on February 21, 2009, and appeared before the first Pakistani judicial commission. In September 2009, she had told the special trial court that Kasab had “confessed voluntarily” to his crime. 

    Dr Mohite, head of forensic medicine at Nair Hospital, has preserved all his notes on the 22 autopsies at the hospital after the 26/11 attack. “I had prepared well for the Pakistan judicial commission earlier, and I will be ready this time too,” he said. 

    Forensic experts have to certify whether the bullets recovered from the victims and those fired by the terrorists are the same. “Ascertaining firearm injuries in such cases becomes a significant piece of evidence, and we had managed to conclude that. We were asked about the nature of injuries and cause of deaths during the last deposition before the commission,” said Dr Nithurkar, now an assistant professor at the forensic department of J J Hospital.  

 

QUAD CORE OF CASE
RAMESH PADMANABH MAHALE Crime branch unit incharge/ senior police inspector in 2008
Current Status | Took voluntary retirement on May 23, 2013
Role in the Probe | He interrogated Ajmal Kasab, took statements of witnesses, the injured and others and filed the chargesheet in the special court. He also deposed before the court. He accompanied Kasab from Arthur Road jail to Pune’s Yerawada prison, where the terrorist was hanged on November 21, 2012
 

R V SAWANT WAGHULE Additional chief metropolitan magistrate who recorded Kasab’s confessional statement on February 21, 2009
Current status | Ad-hoc district judge in Ahmednagar
Role in the Probe | In September 2009, she told the special trial court that Kasab had “confessed voluntarily” to his crimes, had shown no remorse and said he wanted others to “draw inspiration” from his acts. Kasab had retracted his confession. She appeared before the earlier Pakistani judicial commission
 

DR SHAILESH MOHITE Professor, head of forensic medicine dept, B Y Nair Hospital
Role in Probe | Led a team of five experts who carried out autopsies on 22 bodies. Mohite himself conducted the post-mortem of Abu Ismail, allegedly the group leader, who had attacked CST
 

DR GANESH NITHURKAR Lecturer, forensic medicine dept, JJ Hospital
Current status | Asst professor
Role in Probe | Performed round-the-clock autopsies with nine others on 120 bodies over four days, including eight terrorists
 

TRIAL STATUS IN PAKISTAN Pakistan has put seven persons on trial for plotting the Mumbai attacks. The trial has made little progress since the first judicial commission’s report was rejected because cross-examination of witnesses was not allowed and after leading public prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfikar was shot dead on May 3 this year

Ajmal Kasab was hanged to death on November 21, 2012*

The Times of India, June 20, 2013

Buoyed by Saudi response, India seeks 4 more IM men

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: With the deportation of three alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operatives from SaudiArabia,theIndian authorities have now approached the Saudi government with a fresh request for four more persons, suspected to be hiding there.
 

    Sources in the security establishment did not disclose theidentity of thefour IMsuspects, citing security reason. However, they confirmed that one of the names is Fayyaz Kagzi, mentor of 26/11 terrorist Abu Jundal. Kagzi hails from Beed district in Maharashtra and has been on the radar of security agencies for the last couple of months.
 

    Indian intelligence agencies are coordinating with Al-Mabahith Al-Aammah, Saudi Arabia’s internal intelligence agency. Kagzi is an accused in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. His name cropped up during theinterrogation of two accused who were arrested last month for their alleged role in the August 1 serial bomb blasts in Pune. The two accused had told Delhi police’s special cell that they went to meet Kagzi in Saudi Arabia in 2010 and he had asked them to help him.
 

    In a list submitted to the UAE, the government has urged to deport Ubed Kola, an accused in Mumbai’s 13/7 triple bomb blast case. Kola is suspected to have played a vital rolein transferring hawala money from Dubai to India. “After Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal was deported in June this year, we were happy with the positive response received from the Saudi authorities. We managed to get two more IM suspects. Now, we have requested for four more persons. Wehopeto get them soon,” said a source in the security establishment. Jundal is facing at least seven terror-related cases in India.
 

    While many terror suspects are increasingly hiding in Saudi Arabia, a major section of the Muslims is angry with their strategy of using the holy soil as a hideout. “These suspects are visiting Gulf countries on the pretext of getting jobs or pretending to be pilgrims. The Saudi authorities should throw them out,” said an official.  Anti-social elements prefer hiding in Saudi as it is within Mecca limits andthere is no chance of being caught by anyone other than the Saudi police. “So the accused pretend to be pilgrims and try to take advantage of this rule,” said a source. Sources said that since the month of Haj is over, lakhs of pilgrims will now visit Saudi for Umrah. 

    Even the UAE has been deporting gangsters to India. Over the last nine years, the UAE has deported more than 23 gangsters to India.

The Times of India, November 5, 2012

Kasab wrote to Pak envoy twice seeking legal help

Ajmal Kasab

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Convicted 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab desperately wanted to meet the Pakistani high commissioner in India after his arrest in Mumbai. 

    TOI has obtained exclusive copies of the two letters Kasab wrote in Urdu to the Pakistani high commissioner. The first sought an appointment for legal help and requested that the body of his colleague, Ismail Khan, be taken back to Pakistan for burial. The second letter said he did not want the services of an Indian lawyer and requested the Pakistan government to appoint a compatriot “mere bachav ke liye (for my protection)”. Neither of his letters got any response. 

    In the first undated letter that runs into three pages, Kasab stated that he was a resident of Faridkot in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Providing his residence telephone number (03017363886), Kasab, now 25, admitted his role in the Mumbai attack and narrated his journey from Pakistan till he was captured. 

 

 

 Kasab signed off as a Pak ‘patriot’

 Mumbai: Terrorist Ajmal Kasab had sought legal help from the Pakistan government in his two letters to the Pakistani high commissioner. “I took training in a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) training camp since I wanted to become a jihadi. For this, I learned to operate firearms and bombs at Muridke in Muzaffarabad and became a fidayeen. Hafiz Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Abu Hamza and Kahafa trained me in LeT camps and brainwashed me,” he wrote.
 

    He went on to give information about the names of his nine other accomplices and their addresses in Pakistan. He narrated how they travelled on a Pakistani ship, Al-Hussaini, and later hijacked Indian fishing trawler, M V Kuber. “Khan and I reached VT and began firing at different places; police also fired. During the exchange of fire Khan died and I was injured. I request for an appointment to meet you so that I can talk to you. I want legal help from you. Take Khan’s body to his home in Pakistan,” wrote Kasab. He signed off the first letter stating himself a watan parast (patriot).
 

    Kasab wrote the second letter on December 26, 2008, exactly a month after he was caught. In it, he repeated his story and wrote, “I don’t want an Indian lawyer for defence” and requested to meet a Pakistani lawyer. He pleaded that he had not got any response from the Pakistani high commissioner to his first letter and again requested for legal help. The second letter shows how Pakistan forsook the terrorist it sent to India. In both the letters, Kasab did not mention other attacks by his associates. Sources in the security establishment say that Kasab was not aware about the death of the eight gunmen in encounters. “He knew only about Khan’s death since both were travelling together,” said a source.
 

    Kasab and his nine accomplices killed 166 people. Kasab, who has been lodged in a special cell at Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison, was awarded the death sentence by the special court that was upheld by the Bombay high court and the Supreme Court. He has filed a clemency petition before the President of India. Currently, Kasab is practising karate to kill time in jail.
 

 

THE FIRST UNDATED LETTER

• In the 3-page undated letter, Kasab says he is a Pakistani national. Besides giving his residential address in Pakistan, Kasab also mentions his home phone number, 03017363886

• Speaks about his ambition to join militancy and become a fidayeen. Also mentions his trainers, Hafeez Saeed, Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Abu Hamza and Abu Kahafa, and the nine other terrorists who came to India on 26/11

• He admits to have hijacked Indian fishing trawler, M V Kuber. Mentions attacks at CST and his associate Ismail Khan’s death in police encounter

• Requests the Pakistani high commissioner in India to meet him, to provide him with legal assistance and to send Khan’s body to the latter’s home

•Calls himself a patriot
 

The second letter, dated December 26, 2008:
• Narrates the lead-up to the 26/11 attack, Ismail Khan’s death and his capture. Kasab states cops have booked him

• Kasab requests for a Pakistani lawyer saying he does not want any Indian lawyer to defend him

• He says he had written to Pakistani high commissioner even earlier but did not get any reply

The Times of India, October, 1, 2012

Kasab shoots off mercy plea to Prez in Hindi

Mateen Hafeez & Sanjeev Shivadekar TNN

Mumbai: Convicted Pakistani gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab himself wrote his mercy petition in Hindi, which has been sent to the President’s office. Kasab was taught Hindi before entering India by Abu Jundal, an Indian operative of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who is now in police custody. 

 

 Kasab, now 25, has been convicted on 86 charges in the Mumbai carnage of November 2008. His death penalty was upheld by the Supreme Court last month.
 

    “Jail manual rules state that every convict or an undertrial should be made aware of their rights. Jail authorities helped Kasab write his mercy petition. He knows Hindi and wrote it on his own,” said a police source. The petition, Arthur Road jail authorities said, was sent to the state home department a few days ago, and from there to the President’s office. 

 
    The Maharashtra government, on its part, wants the Centre to expedite his punishment and dispose of his mercy plea, “bypassing” the existing wait list. Reacting to reports on the plea, home minister R R Patil on Tuesday said he would ask the Centre to give it a hearing on a priority basis. 

    “He has been convicted for waging a war against the nation. The Pakistani gunman’s case is different from others who have filed mercy petitions. The government should process it on priority to ensure speedy disposal of the case,” Patil said. 

    After the judgment, Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had said that Kasab’s plea would be disposed of in minimum time. As per provisions of the law, there is no time limit for disposing of a mercy petition. 

    If executed, Kasab will be the 52nd person to be hanged in India since Independence. However, jail authorities did not explain whether he wanted to go for a review of his sentence in the Supreme Court before a bigger bench. 

 

 Afzal, 28 others ahead of Kasab
Mumbai:Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab has written to the President seeking mercy for his death penalty. On August 29, a bench of Justices Aftab Alam and C K Prasad in the Supreme Court had dismissed his plea challenging his conviction and death sentence in the 26/11 case.
    

The petition copy will be forwarded from the President’s office to the Union home ministry for its remarks, from where it will be sent back to the President’s office. Kasab and nine other Pakistani terrorists who entered Mumbai on November 26, 2008, killed 166 people, including 18 foreigners.
    

Of all the terrorists, only Kasab was captured alive. Ahead of him are people such as Mohammed Afzal Guru, the terrorist condemned to the gallows for his involvement in the December 2001 Parliament attack case, awaiting decision on mercy petitions.
    

According to the home ministry's factsheet on people on the death row, a total of 29 mercy petitions seeking pardon, under Article 72 of the Constitution, are still pending with the central government. At least seven of the condemned prisoners-—six from Uttar Pradesh and one from Tamil Nadu—have been able to survive for more than 14 years as their pleas are pending with Rashtrapati Bhavan since 1998.  

 

A TERRORIST’S PLEA IN HINDI
The mercy plea—written in Hindi by Ajmal Kasab—speaks
about his case, his trial and conviction, and seeks mercy from the President of India
 

Who helped Kasab write the plea
    Kasab wrote the mercy petition with the help of Arthur Road jail offi cials. The jail sent it to Maharashtra’s law and judiciary department (home ministry). The state then forwarded it to the President of India’s office
 

What next
    The petition will be sent from the President’s offi ce to the Union home ministry for its remarks. Once the fi nal remarks are made, it will be sent back to the President’s offi ce
 

His role in the 26/11 terror attack Kasab, along with nine other gunmen, entered Mumbai on the night of November 26, 2008. While four of them entered Taj Mahal hotel, two went to Trident, two others to Nariman House (Jewish centre) and Kasab, along with his mentor, Ismail Dera Khan, to CST. They killed 166 people. Kasab was the only terrorist to be captured alive
 

The death sentence Kasab, who faced 86 charges, was tried in a special court that awarded him death penalty. Kasab then approached Bombay high court and later the Supreme Court, which upheld HC’s death sentence order last month

The Times of India, September 19, 2012

Jundal helped LeT post content on website: Cops

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal told interrogators that he was assisting the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in maintaining their website for six to seven months prior to the 26/11 strike.
 

    Jundal, who is currently in custody, told the police that his handler Muzammil introduced him to a software engineer, Hafeez Saeed, at a terror camp. “Muzammil asked me to help Saeed in the making of webpages and uploading videos, books on those the site,” Jundal told police. The website was blocked after the company that hosted the server objected to the copyright of the content uploaded.
 

   In August 2006, Muzammil asked Jundal the reason for the failure of an operation that led to the Aurangabad arms haul case. “I told Muzammil that Ahmad (who had delivered the consignment) could have leaked the information. Hearing this Muzammil said that he would find out the cause and punish the culprit,” he told police. 

    After being given a new identity, Jundal was called at Mansera for training. “Next morning our trainer, Dr Waqqas, arranged a vehicle (Toyota Hayes) and took all of us to Ugi camp where we met three instructors, Fahadullah, Shoeb and Osama. Fahadullah, who trained us,” Jundal said. 

 
Two Maha youths still in Pak camp

 L eT operative Abu Jundal said two youths from Beed district, Aijaz alias Abu Sherjil and Masood alias Abu Zarar, were still staying in Pakistan’s Bait-ul-Mujahideen camp. TNN 

 

The Times of India, September 17, 2012

Jundal was in Aurangabad after arms haul

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Investigations into the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case have revealed that while the state ATS was hunting for prime accused Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal from the day he escaped from Chandwad highway, he was very much in Aurangabad for two days. After the haul, an alert to trace Jundal was sent out to all the police agencies. However nobody could trace him. 

    Jundal told interrogators that he went to Aurangabad after dodging the ATS and spent the night in a mosque. The next day, he sent an e-mail to one of his friends from Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) about the incident. Jundal was instructed to meet one Shaukat in Kolkata. He was also asked to come to Pakistan with the help of Shaukat. The same day, Jundal took a train to Kolkata and met
Shaukat near Sealdah (Calcutta) railway station the next morning with a white handkerchief on his right hand. Jundal introduced himself to Shaukat as Dawood.
 

    Shaukat took him to Benapool and in the evening they crossed the Bangladesh border and reached Dhaka. Jundal stayed in an under-construction building for a week. Shaukat instructed Jundal not to open window, not to use flush and to speak discreetly. “After a week, Shaukat came to me and said that we have to leave the next morning. He gave me new clothes and new chappals. The next morning, Shaukat came with four bags—two small bags full of litchis and two large bags full of sarees. We took a taxi to Dhaka airport. At the airport there was no immigration and security checking. We entered the boarding counter without any checks. Shaukat arranged a passport for me in the name of Saeed. We boarded a PIA flight to Karachi from Dhaka,” Jundal told police. 

    After reaching Karachi, Shaukat introduced Jundal to one Raza and asked him to stay with Raza. Jundal was then taken to a room in Hyderabad Colony. Jundal stayed there for a week and shifted to another room where he stayed with Saif and Zahid, both from Hyderabad in India. After this, Jundal took a flight to Rawalpindi, where he met LeT commander Muzammil. From this place, the 26/11 conspiracy begun. 

 

 

The Times of India, September 14, 2012

‘Kasab took SC order copy with a smile’

Ajmal Kasab

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: 26/11 attacks convict Ajmal Kasab, lodged in a high security cell of the Arthur Road jail, smiled when he was told on Saturday about the Supreme Court’s order confirming his death sentence. Kasab, say jail sources, smiled and collected a certified copy of the SC’s order.

    Jail sources said they received a certified copy of the SC order a few days ago. “We had not informed him about it as we did not have a copy of the order. Once we received it a few days ago, Kasab was informed about the order,” said a jail official. 

    However, Kasab has remained silent on whether he would file a mercy petition. He is accused of conspiring and killing 166 people in terror attacks on the city in November 2008. He was the sole gunman to be captured alive as his nine associates were killed in police encounters.
 

    Now, Kasab has an option of appealing for mercy to the President of India. For this, he will have to approach the government through his lawyer.
 

    “Kasab is shifted to another room adjacent to his cell whenever we need to clean his specially designed cell,” said a senior jail official. Kasab has been kept alone in a highly guarded cell ever since he was sent to judicial custody in late 2008.
 

    Jail sources said that fed up of being in a small cell, Kasab has now taken to karate, which he practises for an hour every day. Sources said, “Qaidi number C-7096 has become restless after months of composure. He has been in this cell for around four years. Life must be monotonous for him. To overcome his frustration, he has taken to karate. He seems to be a champion in the martial art,” said a jail official. “He does not have any props for practice or equipment for exercise, but that is not a hurdle for him. His methods match those of a true professional. He rests after working out and then eats a lot.”
 

    A jail official had earlier said that Kasab tries chatting with policemen when he feels lonely. “He tries to talk to the policemen, but we have strictly forbidden them from entertaining him since he is a convict in a sensitive case,” the jail official had said. “When no one speaks to him, Kasab starts abusing them,” said the source.

The Times of India, September 12, 2012

Jundal sent to judicial custody

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: LeT’s suspected operative, Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, was on Monday sent to judicial custody in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. He is likely to be taken into custody for his alleged involvement in the 2010 Nashik police academy attack conspiracy case on Tuesday. 

    Jundal, who was earlier in the custody of the Mumbai crime branch for his role in the 26/11 attack case, was later handed over to the Maharashtra ATS in connection with the arms haul case. He was produced before a court which sent him to judicial custody. 

    Sources said the ATS has two cases registered against Jundal. First the Pune German Bakery bomb blast case and the second is the Nashik police academy attack conspiracy case. In the German Bakery case, the police have arrested Mirza Himayat Baig and in the Nashik case, an LeT operative Farid Baba Bilal Shaikh, was arrested in 2010. During interrogation, Shaikh told police that he was planning to attack the Nashik police academy like the Lahore police school was attacked three years ago. 

 

 

The Times of India, September 11, 2012

Jundal changed houses in Pak to duck arrest

POST-26/11 ATTACKS

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: After the 26/11 attacks, the Pakistan police also began arresting conspirators and arrestedfour top Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commanders. However, Indian-born LeT operative, Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, escaped arrest as hewas not present attheoutfit’s office. Scared of being arrested, Jundal changed his residence thricein the nextfew months. 

    Jundal, who was zeroed in on by the Saudi Arabian intelligence agency, was deported from Riyaz to Delhi on June 20. Heisfacing atleasteightterrorrelatedcasesin India. 

    “After a case was registered in Pakistan, the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) reached theLeT’soffice and arrestedZaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Muzammil, Abu Alkama and Zarar Shah.Iwas attheofficewithtwo others—Khalid and Abu Kahafa, but succeeded in fleeing,” JundaltoldIndian police. 

    Muzammil gaveordersfrom jail to vacate all Bait-ul-Mujahideen (training house) camps. The same day, the Pakistan army reached the house and seizedweapons. 

    “In January 2009, I got a passportin the nameof Riyasat Ali s/o Khushi Mohammad, residentof Mohalla Rehmanpura, Dauok, tehsil and P.O. Mauridke, district Shekhura, Pakistan. However, I did not feel safe there. I and one Anas went to Faislabad and stayed there for a month before returning to Muzaffarabad.
 
    On August 4, 2009, I got married to Mariam, daughter of Shahbaz Ismail of Muzaffarabad, and stayed in Uppera Mira in Muzaffarabad,” Jundal told police.
 
    Four months later, Jundal again shifted to Rawalpindi as his wife was suffering from an allergy. In March 2010, Jundal shifted to Islamabad into the house of LeT man Rashid alias Junaid atKaral.
 
    In April 2010, Jundal again shifted to Rawalpindi and stayed there until he moved to Saudi Arabia. He had an Internet connection in his room, wherehe made passportsfor his wife and son, Abdul Saboor. Jundal began working as an agentdealing in used cars.


The Times of India, September 10, 2012

LeT operative was duped of 50,000

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: LeT operative Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal told interrogators that he had sent Rs 50,000 to help an accused in a terror case in India butthe person who wastodeliver the money cheatedhim.
 

    TOI had reportedon howIndian Mujahideen (IM) operativeswereduping their handlers andsiphoning off money.
 

    In 2010,Jundalwentto Saudi Arabia, where he saw one of his relatives, Qamar Malik (name changed). He took Malik’s number before returning to Pakistan.In 2011,Malikcalledup Jundal and said he was going to India for a week. “The next day, Jundal went to the office of his handler, Muzammil, and asked for a monetary favour for those arrested in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. Muzammil gave him 4,000 riyals (nearly Rs 50,0000). Jundal spoke to Malik and gave him the address of one Kashif,whosebrother,Arif,was in the Aurangabad jail. Jundal sent the money to Malik throughhawala,” policesaid. 

    After sending the money, Jundal called up Malik and inquired if the money had been handed over, said a police source. “Malik told Jundal that he was trying to trace Kashif’s address and assured him that the money would be delivered assoon as possible,” cops added. 

    Oneday,Jundalsawthewedding card of Malik’s brother on a social networking website. Jundal noted down the brother’s mobile number from the card. After calling up that number, Jundal took Malik’s new mobile number and contacted him. “Malik told Jundal that he tried to search for Kashif’s addressbutcould notfindit.Malik disconnected the call, asking Jundal not to call him again,” said a policesource.
 

TERROR & MOOLAH • Murdered IM man Qateel Siddiqui allegedly spent Rs 1L on women. The money was to recruit new men. He had told police that he was not interested in IM ideology

• IM man Yasin Bhatkal siphoned off and invested Rs 14L in an under-construction project in Nalasopara. The money was for the legal expenses of IM members who were in jail

• Pune German Bakery blast accused Mirza Himayat Baig got Rs 12.5L, of which he used Rs 10L on operational expenses. The remaining money was used to pay off personal debt 

 

 

The Times of India, September 10, 2012

Man who gave Jundal Gulf work visa squealed on him

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal had to borrow money for going to Gulf from his Pakistani handler to recruit young men in the outfit. Moreover, he was also given the task to raise funds in the Gulf and send it to India for LeT’s ongoing operations, Jundal reportedly told police.
 

    Jundal, who is currently in the state anti-terrorism squad’s (ATS) custody, told police that he found it difficult to get a visa for Saudi Arabia. He further said that he contacted one Akram Salfi, through LeT commander Muzammil, and asked him to arrange for visa. Salfi demanded 16,000 riyals (Rs 2.08 lakh). “To get the work visa, I had to borrow money from Muzammil though I was going to Gulf for the outfit’s work. Later, I got a visa in the name of Riyasat Ali,” Jundal told police. Jundal is facing several bomb blast cases in India and was deported from Saudi Arabia on June 20. He is also one of the handlers of
the ten terrorists who were involved in the 26/11 attacks. 

    In April, Jundal reached Saudi Arabia and began working as an electrician where he would get morning meal, lunch and 60 riyals per day. Jundal was staying there with a plumber Shakeel (originally from Gujrawalan, Pakitan) and Malik Irfanat Shahna Imam Ali near Saudi Post, Qateef. During that time, Salfi, a resident of Harunabad in Pakistan, also reached Saudi. A few weeks later, Jundal came to know that Salfi had been arrested by the Gulf police and hence he switched off his mobile phone. “I did not use my phone since my number was stored in Salfi Saheb’s phone. I didn’t want any trouble there,” Jundal reportedly told police.
 

    On June 20, Ahmad Malik Ahmad alias Qafeel, who had given a work visa to Jundal, reached his house and took him to a police station without telling him anything. “Thereafter, I was arrested,” said Jundal. Sources said that Qafeel had in fact arranged visa for Jundal. Sources said that was Qafeel helped the Saudi intelligence agency, Al-Mabahith Al-Aammah, nab Jundal. 

 

 

The Times of India, September 7, 2012

Cops: LeT gave Jundal $500 for Karnavati train blast

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Investigations have revealed that Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Zabihuddin Ansair alias Abu Jundal was given US$500 for the Karnavati Express blast in Ahmedabad. Though Jundal was imparted a weapon handling training in Pakistan, he has confessed to learning bomb-making techniques in Nepal. He also told investigators that earlier he had twice refused to undergo training in Pakistan. 

    Jundal (31), who originally belongs to Beed district in Maharashtra, is currently in the state ATS custody for his alleged involvement in the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case. The police had seized 43 kg of RDX, 16 AK-47 assault rifles, 3,200 live bullets, 50 hand grenades, two swords, etc. So far, police have arrested 22 people, including Jundal, in this case. 

    After reaching Nepal, Jundal met LeT operative, Juned alias Rehan alias Waii, a Pakistani national. “During the next two days, Juned taught me how to make a bomb from crackers and also gave me a task. Jundal was then given another task of receiving the delivery of weapons at a place called Nasik Road. After a few days, Juned gave Jundal the code name of “Pappu”. On the last day of their stay in Nepal, Jundal met Juned at Bala Zoo Park in Kathmandu. “Juned gave me $500 and another task to fire on Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) shops/offices or trigger a blast somewhere in India. After that, we returned to India,” Jundal told the police. 

    Jundal then planned to carry out a bomb blast in a train. He, along with his associates, purchased some crackers, thermocol, knobs, battery, watch, etc. He assembled a suitcase bomb and planted it in a train moving towards Ahmedabad, which exploded at Ahmedabad railway station, the police said. 

 

 

The Times of India, September 5, 2012

Jundal parents can meet him

—Mateen Hafeez 

Mumbai: The state ATS on Monday told the special MCOCA court that they have come across involvement of three more suspects in the Aurangabad arms haul case while questioning Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal. He was sent to ATS custody till September 10.
    Jundal told special judge S M Modak that he would talk to his parents for a lawyer. The court asked the ATS to inform Jundal’s parents to come and meet him at their own expense. The court has warned Jundal against discussing any case with them. He can meet his parents for 10 minutes in the presence of ATS officers. 

 

 

The Times of India, September 4, 2012

Kasab hanging will cost state only 50

 

Ajmal Kasab

That’s Funeral Budget, No Charge For Hangman 

 

Swati Deshpande TNN

Mumbai: To keep him safe, the state has already spent over Rs 50 crore. In his execution, the budget permitted by law is only Rs 50. 

    Not just this, the confirmation of death sentence for Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, for his role in the 26/11 attacks in the city that left 166 dead, has turned the spotlight on other quirks of a set of rules framed well over a century ago.
 

    The course to be taken and interpretation of the rules is further mired in a fog as their use is rare. The last 

execution in Maharashtra was in Pune’s Yerawada jail when Sudhakar Joshi was sent to the gallows in August 1995 in a murder case.
 

    Now 17 years later, the hanging ropes are likely to be measured and tested again when the execution date is set for the terrorist after a few more legal procedures are completed. The jail superintendent has to tell Kasab he has seven days to make a written mercy plea. Then the ball will be in the Maharashtra governor’s and, further on, the President’s court.
 

    If the pleas are turned down, the execution goes ahead. Meeran Borwankar, inspector general (prisons), told TOI that there is no execution fee or payment to be made to the hangman. (More in box)
 

    Executions in India, one of the 96 countries that still allow death penalty, are governed by laws that date back to 1894. The Prisons Act in India is the principle Act which lays down the rules and empowers states to make rules for execution. Four decades ago, the state adopted the Maharashtra Prisons (prisoners sentenced to death) Rules, 1971, that heavily borrows from its parent.
 

    A defining book on the rights of prisoners written by a Bombay high court lawyer, A B Puranik, in 1992 notes how prison laws in Maharashtra lay down that, except as provided in sub-rules, “the body of an executed convict shall be taken out of the prison with all solemnity”. Where possible, the body must be taken in a municipal hearse or ambulance hired to transport the body to the jail cremation or burial ground. The jail “superintendent may incur a reasonable expenditure up to Rs 50 for the transport and disposal of the body”.
 

    Once a convict is sentenced to death, the prison staff has to first measure his neck and weight. It boils down to height, weight and neck measurement with the height measured accurately to the angle of the jaw below the left ear. The height and weight are scientifically used to drop the rope to a certain height during the execution which is open to a dozen male relatives of the convict and other ‘spectators’ allowed by the jail superintendent. Kasab has no relatives in India.
 

    And while a bullet wound, like the many Kasab delivered on 26/11, would perhaps kill instantly, the prison rules say after hanging the condemned convict must be left suspended for half an hour till a medical officer certifies him dead.
 

LONG AND SHORT OF THE GALLOWS
THE PRISONS ACT, 1894, AND THE MAHARASHTRA PRISONS RULES, 1971, LAY DOWN STEP BY STEP HOW TO TREAT A PRISONER ON DEATH ROW RIGHT UP TO HIS LAST BREATH AND BEYOND. HERE’S HOW THE NOOSE TIGHTENS:
ON DEATH ROW  

A convict sentenced to death immediately gets special status in prison
The convict is confined to a special cell away from other prisoners and moved daily
The convict is under continuous 24-hour watch. The guards, posted right at the cell door, can be on duty only for two hours
Relatives or lawyers may visit. A priest or a cleric may be summoned once a week at government’s cost
A convict can get religious books, religious pictures, newspapers and books
Jailor can allow tobacco and other indulgences to the convict
 

FINAL COUNTDOWN After SC confirms death, jailor must tell convict of his right to submit mercy petition in writing within 7 days
If mercy plea is rejected, the state government will fix execution date. The convict can prepare his will
No execution on a public holiday
No execution if convict is unwell. But to justify a postponement, the illness must be serious and acute
 

COMPANY TILL END Only adult male relatives of the convict and other respectable males can witness the execution. Total spectators allowed is 12
The jail superintendent, dy superintendent, senior jailor and medical officer have to be present. A magistrate deputed by the DM will attend
 

D-DAY The gallows must be erected and the hanging rope tested on the execution-eve
The length of the rope is the depth of the drop in the gallows plus the distance between the prisoner’s jaw and the beam from which the noose hangs
The superintendent to check the noose is in proper position
The manual specifically lays down the height of the drop according to the weight of a convict. But a medical officer may suggest a change over any physical peculiarity
After the hanging, the body has to remain suspended for half an hour. Then a medical officer has to certify that life is extinct
A municipal hearse or ambulance may be hired to transport body for disposal according to convict’s religion. For this, jail super is allowed reasonable expenses up to 50  

Kasab to hear about hanging by Saturday

Aday after the SC confirmed the death sentence handed out to Ajmal Kasab, the convict is still unaware that the clock is ticking on him. Kasab, now 24, had a peaceful day in the well-guarded Arthur Road jail, said sources. He could be officially informed by Saturday, when the prison authorities are expecting the copy of the SC order. Jail superintendent A C Rane said: “We came to know about the judgment through media reports. We are still waiting for a legal document informing us about the verdict. Until I get the order copy, how can I tell him that his death sentence has been upheld by the apex court?” - Mateen Hafeez 

The Times of India, August 31, 2012

‘Mercy plea to be processed fast’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: With a presidential pardon the only option before Ajmal Kasab after the Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Wednesday said the government would ensure that the Pakistani’s mercy plea, if it came, was processed in the minimum possible time.
 

    “If Ajmal Kasab files a mercy plea, we will ensure it is disposed of in minimum time,” Shinde said when asked if Kasab’s execution would take time since he has the option of moving a mercy petition.
 

    The delay in disposing of mercy petitions of death row convicts has created unease within and outside the government. At present, 11 mercy petitions, including that of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, are pending with the President. Guru filed his mercy plea in 2006 but it took the government over five years to process his file before sending it to the President.
 

    Though the government gave its opinion rejecting Guru’s mercy plea to the President over a year ago, it is still pending with the President’s secretariat. The President can exercise his discretion on when to take a final call on the matter, as the Constitution does not provide any time limit on the issue.
 

    Home secretary R K Singh said Kasab has not yet filed any mercy petition. “We will see once he does,” he said.
 

    Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni was more straightforward on the issue. She said while it was Kasab’s constitutional right to seek a presidential review, such clemency should not be shown. “This judgment was awaited from the Supreme Court. I think the judgment should be abided by. Personally, I think there should be no clemency for such cases,” she said. 

 
Terrorist not told of verdict Mumbai: The country’s most high-profile prisoner spent the day in Arthur Road jail oblivious of the death sentence meted out to him by the Supreme Court. Ajmal Kasab woke up in his cell at his normal time, ate almost everything served to him through Wednesday and, again at his normal time, went off to sleep. Policemen were forbidden from informing Kasab of the apex court verdict since the jail superintendent A C Rane had “not received an order copy of the judgment”. “How can I tell him about the judgment without having the document in my hand?” said Rane. —Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Ajmal Kasab


The Times of India, August 30, 2012

Hang Kasab now: Smita Salaskar

SITTING, WAITING, WATCHING: The family of late home guard Mukesh Bhikaji Jadhav watches the news at their Sion home; kin of late Ambadas Pawar, who died at CST, glued to their TV set; a cop pays his respects to the late Tukaram Omble

KASAB: THE NOOSE TIGHTENS

Mateen Hafeez & Bella Jaisinghani TNN

Mumbai: Now that the highest court of the land has decided the fate of Ajmal Kasab, the unanimous verdict among 26/11 martyrs’ families is that the Pakistani extremist should be hanged without further delay. They want the recourse of presidential pardon to be “bypassed” in Kasab’s instance lest the case “go into cold storage like that of Afzal Guru”.
 

    Smita Salaskar, the widow of officer Vijay Salaskar, says, “I want Kasab to be hanged at once. It frustrates me to see that the Indian Constitution, which was drafted to protect our own people, is being used to serve the interests of a foreign terrorist. We have given Kasab several opportunities to defend himself despite visible evidence of his crimes. Now that we have given the Pakistani extremist a fair trial, it is time the Congress government shows a heart for its own citizens.”
 

    Slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare’s wife Kavita shares the sentiment. “Let us hang this man soon and finish the matter. We must not allow Kasab to seek presidential pardon because that is an endless saga. My children and I have waited four years for the curtains to draw on the injustice done to us,” she says.
 

    Two prominent corporate leaders, Ashok Kapur of Yes Bank and developer Pankaj Shah, lost their lives at Oberoi Hotel in 26/11 terror attack. “If the matter must go for the president’s approval, I want Kasab’s case to jump the queue. Like Afzal Guru, it cannot be put into cold storage. We must not be seen as a soft 

state which allows enemies to get away with mass murder,” says Ashok’s wife Madhu Kapur.
 

    Shah’s wife Kalpana says, “Four years is a long wait. Our judicial system takes too long. This drama over Kasab’s hanging must end at once. I will be satisfied the day the Congress government shows the will to pursue the masterminds across the border but that, by all evidence, is unlikely to happen in our lifetime.”
 

    A bitter Madhavi More, wife of martyred sub-inspector Prakash More, says, “We keep hearing the word ‘phansi’ but are yet to see any signs of execution drawing near. He didn’t think for a second before killing Indians but we are mulling his fate for four years,” she says.
 

    Among the police officers who captured Kasab alive was inspector Hemant Bhawdhankar, later awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry. “Like any Indian, I want Kasab to be hanged at the earliest. The Supreme Court’s conviction has proved that we have a fair judicial system. Kasab was tried and found guilty at every stage,” Bhawdhankar says.

The Times of India, August 30, 2012

LeT operative planted bomb on train, goofed up on timing

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Arrested LeT operative Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal has disclosed that he had assembled the bomb that was planted on Karnavati Express in February 2006. The bomb was supposed to go off at Mumbai Central station, but Jundal made a mistake while setting the timer and the bomb went off at Ahmedabad railway station. Twenty-five people were injured in the explosion on February 19. 

    The bomb was supposed to go off at 12 noon but Jundal goofed up and set the timer for 12pm. “We had planned for the bomb to go off at Mumbai Central but that did not happen. Instead, the bomb exploded when the train was going to a railway yard in Ahmedabad,” Jundal has reportedly told the interrogators.
 

    Jundal was trained to assemble bombs by LeT commander Abu Hamza at a camp in Nepal in December 2005. Jundal claims he made the mistake while setting the timer as he was told to carry out the strike within two months of his training and did not get a chance to conduct a trial. He has also told the police he was in touch with his Pakistani handlers much before the 2006 Aurangabad arms haul. “He used to chat with his handlers on the internet. He learnt to operate a computer in a cyber cafe. Mirza Himayat Baig, an arrested accused in the Pune German Bakery blast case, also used the internet to keep in touch with his Pakistani handlers,” said a police source.

The Times of India, August 27, 2012

Mentor working for Saudi govt, says Jundal

26/11 TRAIL

Mateen Hafeez TNN

Mumbai: Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal (31) suspects that his mentor, Fayyaz Kagzi, was working for the Saudi government. He said Kazgi tipped off security agencies about his whereabouts before he was kept under surveillance.
 

    Jundal told the police on Tuesday that Kagzi may have given his mobile number to the police, which led to his arrest.   Currently in the custody of the state anti-terrorism squad (ATS), Jundal revealed this during his interrogation at the crime branch lock-up last week. “I left Pakistan and went to Saudi Arabia. Last year, I telephoned Muzammil, an LeT area commander in India, and took Kagzi’s number. Later, I spoke to Kagzi and thereafter I felt that I was being monitored. However, I could not do anything to avoid it,” Jundal is believed to have told the police in Mumbai. 

    Jundal is wanted in four terror-related cases in Maharashtra: 26/11 terror attack, 2006 Aurangabad arms haul, Pune German Bakery bomb blast and Nashik police academy attack planning.
 

    Jundal told the police that after fleeing India, he went to Pakistan via Bangladesh and found Kagzi there. “Jundal told us that after seeing Kagzi near an LeT camp, he thought Kagzi may have been chased by the police and fled. However, he later realized that Kagzi was missing since they planned the arms haul transportation,” a police officer said. Jundal himself worked as a police informer before he fled Pakistan, it is learned.
 

    He shared contact details of Kagzi with the police. According to Jundal, he last saw Kagzi in Saudi Arabia and met him there too. “Jundal told the police that he met Kagzi in Saudi Arabia and they discussed several things. Kagzi told Jundal that he was working in the Gulf and had no plans to return to India,” said an officer.
 

    Jundal told the police that the ammunition that he transported till Chandwad near Manmad, was supposed to be kept at Kagzi’s house in Beed. “However, during the arms haul case, Kagzi went missing and never returned home. It became difficult for us to think of a safe place to keep the arms and ammunition,” Jundal told the police.

 

The Times of India, August 15, 2012

‘I did not sleep for 60 hrs during 26/11’

Jundal Guided Attackers Over Telephone

Mateen Hafeez | TNN

Mumbai: Zabihuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, who is being questioned for his involvement in the 26/11 terror attacks in the city, told police that he did not sleep for 60 hours while handling operations from November 26, 2008. Jundal was continuously in touch with the Pakistani terrorists over the phone and guided them on how to go about the operations. 

 
    Niket Kaushik, additional commissioner of police (crime branch), said Jundal, who followed the Hanfi sect, began with the Ahle Hadees sect in 2003. “In 2005, he began getting training in terror operations. He got in touch with the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) through Aslam Kashmiri. Jundal was introduced to Kashmiri through another accused, Aamir Shaikh, from Aurangabad,” said Kaushik. Shaikh and Kashmiri are in jail now. 

 
    Jundal told investigators that the final touches for the 26/11 operation were given four months prior to the attack. “I did not sleep during the operation. I was entrusted with handling the gunmen in Mumbai,” he told police. Jundal said he visited Nepal in 2005 and attended a meeting of LeT sympathizers. In 2006, after reaching Pakistan, he met militants in camps there. “Jundal had easy access to Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in Pakistan. Jundal underwent terror training twice,” said Kaushik, contradicting the Delhi police special cell’s claim that he never underwent training as he was suffering from back pain.
 

Observes fast in lock-up, unlike Kasab
    Abu Jundal is observing roza (fast) in the crime branch lock-up. “He told us he wants to observe a fast and adequate arrangements be made for him to have saheri (food at dawn) and iftaar to break his fast. We have agreed and made adequate arrangements,” said crime branch officer Niket Kaushik. However, another terrorist, Ajmal Kasab, who was convicted in the 26/11 case, does not fast at the Arthur Road jail, police officials said. Jundal has been kept on the second floor of the lock-up. “There is no one (else) on that floor. He wakes up at 3.30 am and has his saheri. Later, he offers prayers,” said an officer. For iftaar, crime branch sleuths get him fruits, juice and other food. He breaks his fast after sunset. 

 

 

The Times of India, July 24, 2012