TNN
Mumbai, Dec 2: Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (21), the terrorist arrested by Mumbai Police, has told his interrogators that their plan was to get off the dinghy near the fishing village at Badhwar Park, Cuffe Parade, at dusk and strike all targets except Nariman House between 7 pm and 8 pm. However, the landing was delayed and they reached at 8.45 pm.
‘‘They knew that the crowds at CST would be thickest at 7.30 pm and their bullets would cause the greatest harm,’’ said an officer on condition of anonymity. Kasab told interrogators that Cama hospital and Metro cinema were not in their plan which was to take hostages at CST and return to base by hijacking a boat off the Gateway of India.
The duo opened fire at platform no 13 of CST station, which caters to outstation trains, around 9.45 pm. Then, they walked towards the concourse of the local train station. By then, the commuters had dispersed.
Afraid that they would be spotted and shot, they exited the station from the foot overbridge on the Northern end, walked past the Times of India building and went towards Cama Hospital. According to Kasab, this was not in the plan. At Cama hospital, they encountered a police team led by additional commissioner Sadanand Date.
When cornered, they lobbed grenades, injuring Date and two constables, and fled towards Rang Bhavan, where they killed five more policemen , including ATS chief Hemant Karkare.
Their landing was delayed because it took them some time to locate a trawler to hijack off the coast of Porbandar.
‘Only 10 terrorists’
After the attack at CST railway station, the two terrorists had planned to escape by mixing with the crowd, police sources said.
The police are also investigating whether the terrorists had chalked out a plan to return to Pakistan by the sea route.
‘‘After the attack, they wanted to be away from the sight of the police. This is probably the reason that the duo got into the bylane leading to the rear of Cama and Albless Hospital. By then the police had cordoned off the areas,’’ a senior police officer said.
The duo however had no plans of carrying out another attack. The intelligence bureau and Mumbai police maintained that only 10 terrorists landed in Mumbai.
‘‘All the terrorists have been accounted for,’’ an officer said. The Coast Guard too confirmed this fact to TOI. A senior Coast Guard official said they found only 10 life jackets in the trawler Kuber. They also found some cosmetics and blankets in the trawler.
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