New Delhi, December 18: The Indian investigating agencies are now probing the role of a woman who is believed to have come from Pakistan and stayed with American terror suspect David Coleman Headley at Mumbai’s Taj Hotel for just a day.
Investigators suspect this woman to be a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative who could have visited India to share some crucial information with Headley, staying with him purportedly as his wife. The woman, who is believed to have flown back to Pakistan, could also have come on a recce mission of the potential terror targets, sources said.
Indian investigators are also reasonably sure that Headley had received training from Pakistan Army officials and conducting reconnaissance of potential terror targets formed a critical part of this training, the sources said.
Meanwhile, “huge gaps” have surfaced in the investigations being conducted by Indian agencies trailing Headley’s visits to various cities in India. Sources said that Headley used credit cards rather selectively and chose to use currency notes, which they believe to be fake, to conduct many of his travel transactions. The credit card trail has been hitting a dead-end because of the gaps that have emerged, sources said.
On the matter relating to the reported disappearance of Headley’s and Tahawwur Hussain Rana’s visa papers from the Indian Consulate in Chicago, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said Rana’s papers have been found but those of Headley were being traced. “Rana’s papers have been found since it was applied two years ago, tracing Headley’s papers is taking time since he applied three years ago,” Tharoor said.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said, “After I get the report, we will see how we can proceed with it. I do not pre-judge anything that has appeared in the media but certainly government is aware of its responsibilities and we will discharge that.”
MEA’s official spokesperson Vishnu Prakash said, “The visas in question were issued to these two individuals on July 18, 2007 and March 3, 2006 respectively. A one-year business visa was issued to Rana on October 31, 2008. It would not be accurate to conclude that these visa applications are missing. All relevant information in this regard is being shared with the investigating agencies.”
Opposition questions govt on US cooperation
NEW DELHI: Opposition parties —- BJP, Left and SP — joined ranks in Rajya Sabha Thursday, demanding a statement from the government on US cooperation in the probe against David Coleman Headley for his alleged role in Mumbai attacks.
Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley stood up as soon as the House met for the day and said he had given a notice for suspension of Question Hour to seek government’s response on the Headley affair.
Jaitley asked the government to explain the extent of cooperation extended by FBI. He also wanted to know on “whose behalf Headley was acting” and why his name did not figure in the list of suspects till FBI caught him.
CPM’s Brinda Karat said FBI had full knowledge of the “antecedents of Headley”.
Karat wanted to know the extent of cooperation extended by FBI especially as Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao had said FBI was extending full cooperation while the Home Ministry was “expressing some concern”. “Is there any difference of perception within the government between the External Affairs Ministry and the Home Ministry,” Karat asked.
However, the Prime Minister, who was present in the House, did not respond.Chairman Hamid Ansari later said the government would respond “at an appropriate time”.
——Agencies