JOIN USContinuing to unfold the conspiracy behind the Mumbai terror attack by the Pakistani terrorist outfit, Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), in the court, Kasab said a day after pleading guilty: “Humko kaha gaya tha ki CST main logon ko bandhi banana hai aur unko pehle male pe leke jaana hai..(We were told to take hostages at CST and take them to the first floor).” The court adjourned the proceedings till Wednesday after prosecution sought time to file its reply on Kasab’s confession.
Kasab made certain statements during the confession but the judge prohibited the media from publishing them after observing that it could affect communal harmony in the country. Kasab also recounted in chilling details his journey from Karachi to Mumbai. He and nine other terrorists selected for the attack were confined by the LeT bosses in a hideout in Karachi for 45 days where LeT operative Abu Hamza gave them lessons in navigating a boat.
Kasab said the LeT hideout was the same one which was shown by Pakistani private television channel Geo TV after the terror attack. “Geo TV ne jo dikhaya tha na Aatank ka Ghar kehkar, humko wahi par rakha tha dedh mahine ke liye (The hideout shown by Geo TV as the ‘House of Terror’ was the one where we were kept for a month-and-a-half),” Kasab told designated judge M L Tahilyani.
When the judge asked Kasab how he knew that the house was shown on Geo TV, he said, “Mujhe pata hai sir (I know sir).” Kasab said Hamza and one more LeT operative Abu Kaahfa gave them lessons on how to navigate a boat and survive on it for a week. “The house was near a creek and we were also given ammunition, pistols and guns in a bag,” he said. After 45 days, Kasab and the others were taken to the creek where they boarded the ‘Al-Hussaini’ boat. LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and operatives like Kaahfa and Hamza were present to see them off at the creek, Kasab said.
At the end of Kasab’s confession, special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the court that prosecution was yet to complete examination of its witnesses and production of evidence and it could very well choose to do so even after Kasab pleaded guilty and confessed to his involvement in the conspiracy and the terror attack.
Nikam later told media that the trial may not conclude soon as desired by Kasab as he has “only partially” admitted to his guilt and not revealed the full story. “What Kasab has told the court is not the entire story. He has partially admitted his guilt,” Nikam said. According to Nikam, there were many other important aspects of evidence which prosecution will have to adduce to expose the terrorist infrastructure.
Although Kasab has confessed, it was the discretion of the prosecution to marshall further evidence, he said. “Kasab has not fully disclosed his involvement. He has played with the sentiments of the common man by minimising his role in the crime and throwing responsibility on the slain terrorists for the mayhem on November 26 last year,” Nikam said.