Mumbai: A 26/11 prosecution witness is not
traceable for last three months and all efforts to find him
have gone in vain, a special court trying Pakistani gunman
Ajmal Kasab and two others was informed on Tuesday.
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam filed a report in
the court saying Bharat Thakur was not traceable and therefore
could not be summoned as witness.
The prosecution wanted to examine Thakur to prove that
accused Faheem Ansari had visited Nepal. Ansari had allegedly
drawn maps of locations in Mumbai which were targeted in
terror attacks. The charge against him is that he had handed
over the maps to Lashkar-e-Taiba which had planned the
attacks.
Ansari`s friend Nurrudin had gone to Nepal to visit
Thakur`s home. As Thakur fell sick, Nurrudin did not stay with
him and went to Kathmandu where he met Ansari. He saw maps
with Ansari who told him he had drawn them with his own hand,
Nikam said.
In another development, the prosecution would tomorrow
examine Lisa Ringaner whose mobile was used by terrorists in
Hotel Taj. She had left the room after hearing that terrorists
had stormed the hotel.
Prosecutor Nikam also informed that witness Hamisa
Bilakhia, a resident of Gujarat, was also not traceable and
efforts to contact her on phone had drawn a blank. The Court,
however, asked the prosecution to try again to locate her.
Hamisa had sustained injuries in the terror attack and
her deposition would corroborate the evidence tendered by
ballistic experts, Nikam said.
About 245 witnesses have been examined so far in the
trial which has reached its fag end.
The three accused facing the trial are Pakistan gunman
Ajmal Kasab, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed.
Bureau Report
