New Delhi: In a big breakthrough in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, Abu Jindal, believed to be one of the key handlers of the terrorists involved in the carnage, is in Delhi Police's custody after he was deported from Saudi Arabia on India's request.
Sources in the Delhi Police Special Cell say that Jindal not only trained the 10 terrorists who carried out the attacks in November 2008, but was also one of the key conspirators. They claim that Jindal was in the Karachi control room directing the terrorists at Nariman House during the ghastly attack, which left 166 people dead and over 200 others injured.
His presence was also stated by Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the Mumbai attack, in his deposition before a special court. He told the court that one person by the name of Abu Jindal had tutored 10 terrorists on how to speak Hindi.
Jindal was produced before a court which remanded him to 15-day police custody. The Mumbai Crime Branch will send a team to Delhi in the next few days to seek more information about Abu Hamza and to work on getting a transit remand for a detailed interrogation in Mumbai.
Home Minister P Chidambaram, while confirming the development, said, "Abu Jindal has been apprehended and remanded to custody of law enforcement agencies." External Affairs Minister SM Krishna too lauded the achievement, saying "We are awaiting investigation report from Delhi Police. We will take appropriate action following the report."
Sources say that Jindal was a Lashker-e-Toiba terrorist, and the Hindi tutor of 10 terrorists who carried out the audacious attack in Mumbai. Abu Jindal is reported to be an Indian national who travelled to Pakistan for planning and executing the attack. He is said to have operated under various names. Jindal is also said to be involved in the 2005 Bangalore IISc attack.
India had also secured an Interpol Red Corner notice against him in which he was accused of crimes involving the use of weapons, explosives and terrorism.
With his arrest, the mysterious voice recorded during the conversation between 10 Lashker terrorists and their handlers in Pakistan has been identified, the sources said.
According to the officials associated with the probe, Jindal had told Lashker terrorists carrying out attack in Nariman House to convey to the media that the "attack was a trailer and the entire movie was yet to come".
The voice was that of Jindal and after this his activities were traced before he was finally nabbed in a Gulf country, according to officials.
In the intercepted tapes, Jindal was also heard using typical Hindi words like "prashasan" (government) and was directing the terrorists to conceal their Pakistani identity and identify themselves from Deccan Mujahideen hailing from Toli Chowk in Hyderabad.
courtesy .26/11 suspect Abu Jindal in Delhi Police net - India News - IBNLive
courtesy .26/11 suspect Abu Jindal in Delhi Police net - India News - IBNLive