Mumbai: A witness in the 26/11 terror attack
case on Monday identified prime accused Mohammed Ajmal Kasab
in the court, saying he was one of the two terrorists who had
hijacked Skoda car at gunpoint near Mantralaya.
Deposing before Special Court judge ML Tahaliyani, Samit Azgaonkar
said his friend Sharan Arasa had given him a lift in his Skoda
car on the day of terror attack in the city. When they reached
Valmiki Chowk they heard a burst of firing.
"Near Inox theatre we saw a police vehicle approaching
us. Two persons got down from the vehicle, one was tall and
the other short. The shorter person (pointing at Kasab) asked
us to get down from the car," he told public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam.
The taller person (slain terrorist Abu Ismael) went to
Sharan who was in driver`s seat and forcibly pulled him out
from the car, the witness said.
The taller one occupied the driver`s seat while the
other terrorist sat on the front seat near him but they soon
realised that car keys were not in the vehicle.
The shorter person, then, ran up to Sharan and asked him
to submit the keys lying on the ground near the car, the
witness said.
Kasab was seen smiling at the prosecutor very often
during the trial, prompting the judge to remark in lighter
vein "he seems to be fond of you".
Kasab`s lawyer Abbas Kazmi also remarked "Kasab is
Nikam`s friend and therefore he is smiling."
Nikam replied, "Kasab knows he has few days (for the
trial to get over) and hence he may be trying to strike a
friendship."
A total of 150 witnesses have deposed so far and the
trial is expected to conclude within a month, Nikam said.
Bureau Report
