‘I didn’t go to CST, I was in custody’

Captured Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab on Thursday denied that he entered Mumbai through the sea route reiterating his earlier claim that he had come on the Samjhauta Express.

Captured Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab on Thursday denied that he entered Mumbai through the sea route reiterating his earlier claim that he had come on the Samjhauta Express.

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Kasab told the special court, which is recording his statement under section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, that he was neither present on Al-Hussaini — the boat allegedly belonging to the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT), nor did he reach Mumbai using the hijacked trawler MV Kuber.

“Kidarse phone lagaya? (From where would I have called)?” asked Kasab after special judge ML Tahaliyani confronted him about a call that he allegedly made to his handler after finding lesser number of people at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

“Maine nahi kiya phone (I haven’t made any call),” said the 21-year-old. “Agar maine phone kiya hoga to meri aawaz record mein hogi (Had I had made a call, my voice must be in the record — conversations tapped by the police).”

Kasab denied that he had fired on passengers at CST on November 26 last year, killing 56 passengers and policemen. “I did not go to CST on that day, I was in police custody at that time,” he said.

On Thursday, explaining the bullet wounds on his hands, Kasab improvised on his earlier claim saying that the police attached a silencer to the pistol and shot him as it is done in the movies.

When the judge asked him from how much distance the bullets were fired, Kasab expressed inability to answer the query saying he was looking in opposite direction when policemen held his arms and he was fired at.

“Kaun mera dost (which friend?)?” asked the suspected LeT hitman, when the judge confronted him about Abu Ismail’s death. “He was neither my friend nor my companion.”

The court will continue to record Kasab’s final statement on January 6, although recording of the evidence of eyewitnesses and his confessional statement was complete on Thursday.