Mumbai’s 59-hour ordeal of terror ended on Saturday morning when security forces announced that the Taj Mahal Hotel and Palace was free of terrorists. National Security Guard (NSG) commandos completed the anti-terror operations that began late on the night of November 26. The attack left 173 dead and 239 injured. The victims include 20 dead and 23 injured foreigners. Till Saturday evening, officials said nine terrorists had been killed, while one had been captured.

The Crime Branch has begun investigations into the attack under the leadership of Joint Commissioner of Police Rakesh Maria. The police are piecing together a picture of the terror operation, thanks to information provided by Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasav, who was captured at Girgaum on Wednesday night.

Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil said the terrorists’ plan was to kill at least 5,000 people and they had enough ammunition for this.

“There were 10 terrorists and they came from Karachi by sea,” said Patil. Besides, they made calls from their satellite phones to Pakistan during the attacks.

The government did not explain how the bombs in a taxi at Vile Parle and at Mazgaon were set off.

Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said there was no proof that any of the terrorists was a British national.

The state is preparing to set up a unit of commandos, to be called the Maharashtra Security Guard (MSG), along the lines of the NSG. The state unit would function under the director-general of police but would be trained separately and called in only during emergencies

(Inputs from Ketaki Ghoge, Aloke Tikku & Nandini R Iyer)