Ajmal Kasab destroyed GPS to hide Pakistani identity: Ujjwal Nikam
Kasab, who is facing the death sentence for his role in the dastardly attacks, had revealed this to the trial court in his guilty plea, Nikam told Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice RV More.
Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab had destroyed a sophisticated Global Positioning System equipment brought by him and nine others from Karachi prior to the 26/11 attacks and dumped it in the sea to conceal the fact that they had come from the neighbouring country, government counsel Ujjwal Nikam told the Bombay high court today.Kasab, who is facing death sentence for his role in the dastardly attacks, had revealed this to the trial court in his guilt plea, Nikam told Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice RV More.Nikam said police had recovered five small GPS instruments - one each from Oberoi hotel, Nariman House, Kuber boat (through which terrorists reached Mumbai) and two from Hotel Taj Mahal where attackers killed many people.The terrorists were carrying GPS instruments which provided them maps of targets and displayed the route they had taken from Karachi to Mumbai, the government counsel submitted.However, the perpetrators were instructed by their handlers to destroy the main GPS instrument before they embarked on their mission to launch terror attacks. Accordingly, Kasab destroyed the main GPS in Kuber boat and threw it in the high sea, Nikam said.An FBI witness had decodified in the trial court the route maps shown in the GPS recovered by police, Nikam said, adding Kasab had played the lead role in executing the attacks. The GPS recovered from terrorists also displayed the road maps of targets on the basis of which the attackers reached their destination, Nikam argued.Nikam further submitted that terrorists were in constant touch with their handlers in Pakistan on mobile phones and had made several calls from terror spots.A total of 41 calls (8834 seconds) were made from Taj Mahal hotel, 62 calls (15705 seconds) were made from Oberoi-Trident and 181 calls (35,172 seconds) were made from Nariman House, he said, adding the calls were intercepted by police as per the provisions of Indian Telegraph Act.The court is hearing arguments of the State on confirmation of death sentence imposed on Kasab. The appeals of Kasab against his conviction and that of the state against the two accused, who were acquitted by the trial court, are yet to come up for hearing.The trial court had acquitted Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed giving them the benefit of doubt.Kasab today did not appear on screen put up for the video conference link in the high court. He was confined to his cell at Arthur Road Central Prison.