'If you get impressed by the indoctrination of these youth that turned them to terrorism and brought them to Mumbai from Karachi, then you very well trust us too. We underwent three years of Indian police's rigorous training and 27 years of experience in dealing with criminal brains. Don't underestimate our investigative skills.' Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria, the man investigating the Mumbai terror attacks case, in an exclusive interview.
Senior IPS officer Rakesh Maria, who was heading the Maharashtra ATS, on Sunday took charge as Mumbai Police Commissioner and stressed on adopting zero tolerance towards street crimes while describing urban terrorism and organised crime as challenges before the force.
On the night of November 25, at around 10.30 pm, Rakesh Maria hand-delivered a long letter to Chandra Iyengar, the state additional home secretary. He took three hours to draft his letter because he has attached a detailed rebuttal with his letter expressing a desire to resign if he is not defended.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted a list of 23 witnesses it would not be examining against former media executive Indrani Mukerjea and other accused in connection with the killing of her daughter Sheena Bora.
Rakesh Maria's tough posture as Mumbai police chief, it seems, ruffled feathers in the Fadnavis government, says Neeta Kolhatkar.
The spotlight had fallen on Maria and his crack team after the CBI arrested media baron Peter Mukherjea last year. There were allegations that Maria had not probed the property angle in the case and not quizzed Mukherjea.
Former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed his successor Ahmed Javed knew Sheena Bora murder case accused Indrani and Peter Mukerjea socially, and that Peter also knew the then joint commissioner of police (law and order) Deven Bharti on "first name terms". Maria, who investigated some high-profile cases like the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts and also headed the probe in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, made the revelation in his memoir Let Me Say It Now released on Monday.
'Lalit Modi repeatedly kept requesting for Mumbai police's intervention against the underworld. I reiterated to Modi and his lawyer that it was imperative for Lalit Modi to return to Mumbai for the Mumbai police to initiate any inquiry. Thereafter, the meeting lasted barely for 15/20 minutes,' the police commissioner said.
Following the clarification from Maria, Gaffoor sang a different tune, and said that what he had meant was that 16 persons were involved in the terror attacks. Nine of them were killed, one is in custody with us, two others have been arrested, and four handlers are based in Pakistan, he said
Three months ahead of the terror attacks in Mumbai, the group of ten terrorists who carried out the strikes were shown photos of their targets and not allowed to meet anyone lest the plot was leaked. The members of the group took turns at manning the watchtower of the boat and guarding the captain of the vessel Ajaysinh Solanki, who was later killed when the boat reached near Mumbai's shores.The police said the diary is proof that there were only ten terrorists on board.
K P Raghuvanshi removed as the chief of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad, said sources from Maharashtra's home department on Thursday.
'The officers are sitting on their chairs today because these men paid with their lives. The least they can do is to give them the honour they deserved,' says Vinita Kamte.
Among other officers, joint commissioner Sridhar Wagal has been transferred to the Maharashtra police.
Two persons suspected to be senior Pakistani army officers were named on Wednesday in the chargesheet filed by Mumbai police in connection with the 26/11 terror attacks.
Bollywood filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul is a witness in the case relating to terror charge probe against American national David Headley, a top police official said.
Kasab's letter has been forwarded by the Mumbai police to the External Affairs and the Union Home Ministries for necessary action, Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria told media persons in Mumbai on Saturday.
'This indoctrination of uneducated youth that is going on in Pakistan is a danger to the whole world, not just to India.' Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria, the lead investigator in the attacks case, in his first interview on the acts of terror. Exclusive to rediff.com
'We have gone through the entire CCTV coverage of Taj Mahal, Oberoi and CST, that count gives us the figure of 10. When Kasab was arrested in the morning of November 27 we immediately interrogated him and he told us they were 10 people. This confusion is more or less a creation of the media,' says Mumbai's Joint Commissioner of Police (crime) Rakesh Maria
Mumbai Police has reportedly not furnished to Interpol any details yet about the nine terrorists killed during the 26/11 attack on the country's financial capital for issuance of a "Black Notice", which can help get more information about the dead.
Authorities of the Mumbai police had to protect Ajmal Kasab, the sole Pakistani terrorist arrested during the November 26 attack on the city, not only from the angry public, but even "from within the (police) department," Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria said on Monday. "There was a lot of public anger. The dept had lost some of the best officers (during the attack), so we had to protect Kasab from within dept because there was anger in the department," said Maria.
The number of militants who entered the city through the sea was 10 and "they are all accounted for," said Joint Commissioner of Mumbai Police (Crime Branch) Rakesh Maria. He, however, said that they were probing possible local support being extended by some people in the metropolis and "everything would be clear only after investigations".
The police on Monday said there is no immediate possibility of giving Dera Saccha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh a clean chit in the murder of a 40-year-old Sikh man who was gunned down by the spiritual guru's private security guard last week.
Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria on Tuesday deposed as a defence witness before a sessions court in Mumbai in the infamous television executive Neeraj Grover murder case.
"We have received intelligence inputs stating that Kasab's life may be under threat from the underworld," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said.
The Mumbai police on Friday conducted searches at Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh to trace one of the key members of Indian Mujahideen suspected to be involved in the recent series of bomb blasts across the country. "The crime branch is looking out for Abu Rashid, who is allegedly one of the key members of the Indian Mujahideen," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria told PTI.
Clearing the air on why all three top officials -- Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar who succumbed to bullet injuries -- were sitting in one vehicle, Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said: "Given the circumstances they sat together in the police vehicle, which was available to them."
The Mumbai police are yet to furnish to Interpol details about the nine terrorists killed during the 26/11 terror strikes for issuance of a "Black Notice" which can help get more information about the dead.
"The purpose of allowing the DCPs to interact with Kasab is to understand the psyche of a terrorist. This will help the DCPs to take precautionary and remedial measures to prevent any such crimes in future," Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) said on Friday.
The Mumbai police today booked Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone terrorist caught alive during last month's terror strikes, under three more Acts.
The Mumbai police on Wednesday arrested 5 persons in connection with the serial blasts in Ahmedabad. All the 5 arrested hail from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh.
Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said the department is seriously considering taking action against those behind an over 30-minute interview of gangster Bunty Pandey telecast last week.
Three Kashmiri youths were detained for questioning by the police during search operations carried out in Mumbai, a senior police official said on Tuesday. Raids were carried out in multiple hotels and lodges across Mumbai as part of security measures following serial blasts in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, the official said.
The police earlier said that Ravichandran would make at least Rs 10 lakh per surgery. Maria said an Italian website also has a mention of Ravichandran as a person who does transplants, adding that the State Human Rights Commission in Tamil Nadu registered a case against him in February this year after a donor's wife registered a complaint against the surgeon.
Fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim's aide Abbas Mohammed Sameeza, who allegedly facilitated landing of arms and ammunition off the Gujarat coast prior to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, has been arrested in Mumbai, the police said on Wednesday. Sameeza, who had been staying in suburban Andheri for many years by changing his appearance, was arrested from his residence on Tuesday. Based on specific information, police zeroed-in on Sameeza.
Chota Shakeel, a close associate of Dawood Ibrahim, has been given the responsibility of killing Mohammad Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone terrorist arrested during the terror attack on Mumbai, according to Intelligence Bureau sources. IB sources have revealed that the Lashkar-e-Tayiba has asked Shakeel, a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, to kill Kasab. Shakeel is currently hiding in Pakistan, said IB officials, under the patronage of the ISI & LeT.
Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria said that the bombs were kept in a backpack and made of low-intensity explosives like gunpowder. The arrested duo has been identified as Rajeev Jaigovind Singh and Soumitra Badal Roy.
Pujari threatened and Pujari abused all the three Bhatts for having made the film Dhoka
"The crime branch initiative will start soon. A team of experts will educate the users as to what kind of precautions should be taken while using the Wi-Fi internet connections," said Rakesh Maria, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime). "We will educate about Do's and Don'ts when they use Wi-Fi connections. A list of Do's and Don'ts will be given," said Maria.
A nine-inch-long knife which is alleged to have been used by naval officer M L Jerome Mathew in killing television executive Neeraj Grover in Kannada actress Maraya Monica Susayraj's flat was recovered from the home, police said. "We have recovered the knife from a chute situated near the bathroom of Susayraj's flat in Malad," Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria said Monday. Mathew is suspected to have washed the weapon and thrown it in the chute.
Four staff members of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief held in connection with the gunning down of a 40-year-old Sikh outside a suburban mall were taken to the spot of the crime in order to reconstruct the sequence of events which led to the shooting, police said on Tuesday.
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