New Delhi:
Lashkar operative
David Headley's Mumbai and Delhi links emerged at a fast pace on Friday.
Almost 200 Indian investigators are trying to re trace Headley's terrortrail nationwide and 6 state teams are coordinating with the nationalinvestigation agency.
A copy of Headley's passport has been found in Delhi and it is now confirmed that the mysterious Rahul named in mails between Headley and his Lashkar handlers is none other than Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul Bhatt. Rahul, a fitness instructor, says he met Headley, a "fitness freak" at a gym in Mumbai. (
Read and Watch: How Rahul Bhatt met David Headley)
A property dealer Sunny Singh on Friday claimed that Headley approached him a month and a half ago to look for a flat to rent in Bandra. The deal, he says, fell through because he refused to give his visa documents and other papers.
However, Mumbai Police has questioned property dealer's version and said the dealer is lying for publicity.
Headley and his associate, Tahawwur Rana, were arrested in Chicago by the FBI last month in connection with terror strikes planned in Denmark and in India and for links with the Lashkar e Toiba. Headley visited India nine times between 2006 and 2009, once after 26/11 and the investigative teams are conducting inquiries in the cities he went to. (
Read: Headley's travel and stay in India)
Quick points:- Headley's duration of stay is about 12 months
- Headley also came to India several times between 2006 to 2009
- He visited Karachi in March 2009
- Police Teams have panned out in Delhi, Mumbai, Agra, Kochi, Pune and Ahmedabad
- Almost 200 Indian investigators are trying to re trace Headley's terror trail nationwide
- Six state teams are coordinating with the national investigation agency
- Rana was here once before the 26/11
- Headley and Rana never figured in the intelligence net in any connection till now
- Initial investigations indicate multiple city multiple strike
- No incriminating evidence against Rahul Bhatt but yet to get clean chit (Sources)
PTI has reported that Headley stayed at the Taj Hotel in 2007, the same hotel targetted on 26/11.
The report says that:- Headley stayed at Taj between March 28 and March 30, 2007. During this period, he stayed in Room No 1809
- Headley came back to the hotel on May 2, 2007 and stayed in Room No 314 till May 7
Tahawwur Rana too visited Mumbai once and left the city just five days before the 26/11 attacks. India will now ask for the extradition of both Headley and Rana.
In the capital a team of the Delhi Police Special Cell has visited both the hotels Headley stayed in and have questioned hotel managers and owners. Police found a photocopy of Headley's passport in a Paharganj hotel, Anand Hotel, where he stayed in March 2009 in Room no 40. Before that he stayed for a day at the Holiday Inn Hotel's Room no 205.
Headley's passport was issued from Washington, has an India visa stamp on it and describes the terror suspect as David C Headley, citizen of the United States. Headley had submitted his passport to the hotel while checking in.
While in Delhi, Headley traveled by auto and cycle rickshaws. No one ever saw him going by a car. Neither was anyone ever seen coming to either pick him up or drop him.
The FBI had revealed in its chargesheet that Delhi's National Defence College was the target of the Lashkar-e-Toiba-Headley terror plot.
Fresh evidence available with NDTV shows that Rana had a much bigger role to play than David Headley in the terror plot against India, which was uncovered by the FBI last month. It now appears that Rana not only instigated Headley but also directed his operations. (
Read: Headley took orders from Rana)
In Headley's email exchanges with unidentified Lashkar commanders about a Mickey Mouse Project, he says: "Rana is trying to prepare me. If this happens you should act like this and if that happens you should do that and fear nothing except God.
According to Intelligence sources, all previous terror are now being re-examined with the Headley-connection anything and everything that could help unravel the mystery of David Headley.