Headley-Rana hand seen in 26/11 conspiracy

November 17, 2009 01:52 pm | Updated December 04, 2021 11:45 pm IST - New Delhi

Holiday and Anand Hotels where US based LeT operative David Headley stayed in March 2009. Police on Tuesday identified the cyber cafes visited by him during his stay. File Photo: PTI

Holiday and Anand Hotels where US based LeT operative David Headley stayed in March 2009. Police on Tuesday identified the cyber cafes visited by him during his stay. File Photo: PTI

As investigators are working overtime to retrace the steps of U.S. terror suspect David Headley and his Pakistan-born Canadian accomplice Tahawwur Rana, who had visited India prior to the 26/11 terror attacks, all leads are pointing to the involvement of the duo in the conspiracy and planning of the terror strikes in Mumbai.

Investigations carried out so far indicated that the Headley-Rana duo had the same handlers in Pakistan as the team of 10 Pakistani terrorists who executed the terror attacks in Mumbai.

“Evidence is gradually establishing that Headley and Rana were part of the larger conspiracy behind the Mumbai attack. They were in touch with same people who were giving directions to Ajmal Amir Kasab who happens to be the lone surviving terrorist in Mumbai attack and other terrorists,” the source said.

Indian investigators have asked Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the U.S. to supply voice samples of Headley and Rana who were arrested for allegedly plotting terror attacks targeting India, Denmark and other places.

The voice sample could be compared with the sample available in India after investigators were able to zero in on the phone conversations intercepted here.

Home Ministry sources said that filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt’s son Rahul was not a terror suspect, but investigators would ascertain if he had “unwittingly” helped Headley during his sojourn in Mumbai last year.

Devesh K. Pandey adds:

Computer hard discs of two cybercafes at Paharganj in Central Delhi, through which alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba conduit David Headley sent emails during his three-day stay here, were seized by a police team on Tuesday.

The search for cybercafes used by Headley had begun soon after investigating agencies learnt that he had stayed at De Holiday International and Hotel Anand during his visit to the Capital in the second week of March this year. While screening documents preserved by cybercafés of the area, the team zeroed in on “Kesri” and “Starview” from where Headley had surfed the Internet and sent emails. The two cafes are located in Chuna Mandi, near the hotels where Headley had stayed.

A police team visited the cafes on the direction of the National Investigation Agency that has registered a case against Headley and his accomplices and seized the hard discs. The discs will be sent for analysis to find out whether the emails sent about eight months ago can be retrieved. “It will be a tedious and time-taking process,” said an officer.

Enquiries from the cybercafé staff revealed that Headley had first gone to “Kesri” after which he went to the nearby “Starview” cafe on two consecutive days. It is learnt that the café employees had recorded Headley’s Internet usage time and obtained his passport’s photocopy as identification document.

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