Mumbai: Police had seen two armed terrorists
coming out of Cafe Leopold after striking terror and moving
towards Hotel Taj, but they did not fire or follow them, a
witness told the 26/11 terror court here today.
"We saw two persons going towards Hotel Taj with Ak-47,
but we did not fire or follow them," police inspector Sudhakar
Deshmukh, who was in the group of policemen outside Leopold
Cafe, told defence lawyer Abbas Kazmi in cross-examination.
Earlier, he told special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam
that they had seen two persons firing from Ak-47 rifles while
emerging from Leopold Cafe and moving towards Taj hotel.
However, in cross-examination, Deshmukh corrected himself
saying he had only seen the two terrorists holding Ak-47
rifles and going towards Taj hotel. He clarified that the
police had not seen them firing.
On November 26 last, Deshmukh had said he heard gun shots
when he was on duty at Colaba police station. He ran out to
check what had happened and saw people running outside Leopold
Cafe.
The witness said he returned to police station and
collected pistol and ten rounds from armoury. He went to
nearby Leopold Cafe and saw two persons emerging from that
place.
UP court registrar asked to produce documents
The trial court hearing the 26/11
terror attacks case here today directed the Registrar of a
Sessions court in Uttar Pradesh to produce Pakistani passport,
I-card and other documents seized from one of the accused
Fahim Ansari.
Fahim, charged with providing maps of terror targets to
26/11 conspirators of Lashkar-e-Taiba in Pakistan, had been
arrested by UP police in another case last year. Later, his
custody was sought by Mumbai police in the 26/11 case.
Uttar Pradesh police had seized from Fahim nine maps, an
Indian Passport, a Pakistani Passport and an I-card issued by
Pakistan government bearing his photographs.
The maps had markings allegedly made by Fahim and hence
opinion of handwriting expert had been sought. The report
which was submitted by UP police to a court in Rampur, has
been sought by the trial court here.
The investigating officer of the case being heard in UP
court appeared in the Mumbai trial court but he did not bring
original documents required in this case. Hence the court
passed an order directing Registrar of UP court to produce the
original documents.
It is the case of prosecution that suspected LeT member
Fahim had conducted a recce of terror targets last year. He
had handed over maps to another accused Sabauddin Ahmed in
Nepal and the latter had passed on to the LeT conspirators.
Fahim and Sabauddin are facing the trial along with lone
Pakistani surviving gunman Ajmal Kasab.
Bureau Report
