Mumbai:
Speculation has turned into reality: Headley's guilty plea was indeed a bargain tactic for a lighter sentence. In return he will give information that can unravel the larger terror plot.
What it actually does is strengthens the belief that Headley was once an American agent who turned rogue and joined terrorists, and the US will go to any length to prevent him from spilling the beans.
India is more suspicious because
Headley was on the FBI radar for over a year before his arrest. The US did not share this intelligence.
Headley was under surveillance a month before 26/11. Still no information was shared, even though the FBI had details on potential terror strike on Indian hotels.
The worst: Headley visited India after 26/11, a visit the US was aware of and yet did not tell India.
Besides, case files show that back in 1998, Headley was a heroin smuggler who got off lightly after he agreed to be an undercover agent for US Drug Enforcement Administration. Sources say, sometime during this stint, Headley became a double agent and started working for the Lashkar -e-Toiba.
Sulochana Jadhav, who lost her son in 26/11 says reducing Headley's punishment is a huge injustice.
''The person who has been arrested in America for 26/11 must be punished for his crime. His punishment should not be reduced,'' she said.
''Let's also consider the fact that he was a CIA operative and he turned double agent in Pakistan when he was working with the DEA. The Americans clearly have a lot more use for him," said Bhisham Mansukhani, a survivor of 26/11.
But with access to Headley, India should now be able to piece together - the larger terror jigsaw puzzle of the subcontinent.