‘Kasab didn’t get special training’
Police interrogation of Haroon Naik, arrested by the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad in connection with the 13/7 triple blasts, has revealed that Ajmal Kasab had not undergone the advanced Bait-e-Rizwan advanced training course of the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.
During interrogation, Naik had revealed that he had undergone the Daura-e-aam and Daura-e-khaas training given by the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. The police is now grilling him to find out if there were others who had taken the advanced Bait-e-Rizwan training, and if they were part of an Indian Mujahideen sleeper cell in India.
According to a senior police officer, the training was given only to candidates who had cleared the 21-day Daura-e-aam course and wanted to go on the last leg of training in terrorism. “Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist whom we captured in the November 26 terror attacks, had not gone beyond the Daura-e-khaas training,” the officer said. He added that Naik had undergone the 15-day advanced Bait-e-Rizwan course in early 2001 as he wanted to fight for the cause of jihad in Afghanistan. “After completing the course, Naik went to Kandahar to fight for the Al Qaeda,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, arrested hawala operator Kanwar Pathrija, whose statement has been recorded by the ATS, will now be brought face-to-face with Naik and their versions crosschecked. Naik had called a former Saudi Arabia contact, and asked him to send `10 lakh, which was later used in the 13/7 triple blasts. This was received by Pathrija in Delhi.
“Pathrija’s statement has been recorded and we are still in the process of recording Naik’s statement. Once they are brought face to face, they might throw up more light on the financial trail and also establish what exactly had transpired between the two and whether there are others in the financial chain as well,” said the source.
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