Mumbai:
As 20 teams across the country are working on every connection that David Headley had in India, one man says he has lost his job because he unwittingly befriended the terrorist.
Fitness instructor Vilas Varak met Headley at Moksh, a fancy gym in South Mumbai, owned by filmmaker Pritish Nandy. Headley worked out often at Moksh, and Varak introduced him to Rahul Bhatt, son of film director Mahesh Bhatt.
When the news broke that Headley had been laying the ground for terror attacks in India, Varak approached the Mumbai police to share whatever he knew about Headley. Varak says he's now been sacked from the gym.
"I haven't slept for the past 10 days. My family is in mourning as if somebody has died... my life is completely destroyed, " says Varak. "I have been dismissed from the place where I have been working for the past 8 years. Those people haven't asked me whether I'm dead or alive...even though I have done such a big thing for my country. I myself went to the police and shared the details. . I am a Marathi Manoos," he adds.
Headley was arrested by the FBI in October in Chicago for planning terror attacks against India and Denmark. India believes Headley was part of the team of terrorists that planned and helped execute the Mumbai attacks last year.
When asked to describe Headley, Varak says, "the foreigner guy was a nice guy and he befriended me... I never went to meet any Headley. Headley came to meet me."
Pritish Nandy, owner of the gym where Varak worked, denies that he's sacked the instructor, "As far as I know and have been informed. no one has been sacked by Moksh. We do not sack people unless there is clear evidence of wrongdoing on their part."