New Delhi: India is likely to get direct
access to David Headley within this month as it has informed
the United States that a team of investigators was ready to
visit America to question the Pakistani-American terrorist.
Government sources said a particular date has been
conveyed to the US saying that Indian investigators will visit
Chicago for "direct access" to Headley anytime after that.
"In all likelihood, we will get direct access to Headley
within this month only," an official said.
Sources said apart from National Investigating Agency
(NIA) and Mumbai Police officials, a team comprising a
Magistrate, legal experts and MHA officials will go to the US
to interrogate Headley.
Union Home Secretary G K Pillai had on April 30 first
indicated that investigators from India would be given direct
access to Headley.
"This is a significant achievement and should put an end
to the doubts expressed in certain quarters," Pillai had said.
A two-member team led by Solicitor General Gopal
Subramanium had visited the US for five days to discuss
modalities of gaining access to Headley.
On its return, Subramanium had said "All the bottlenecks
(for access to Headley) are removed and we have a way forward.
So it`s up to us to operationalise the plan forward."
Subramanium, who held detailed discussions with the US
authorities in this regard, had said "once we are ready
to constitute our team, and get off board from India, the
access should be possible."
Headley, an operative of Pakistan-based terror outfit
Lashkar-e-Taiba, who was arrested in October last year, has
entered into a plea bargain with the US government wherein he
has offered to be available to foreign investigators through
deposition, video conferencing or letters rogatory.
He has told his American interrogators that he had
several times conducted recce for the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
PTI
