26/11: Kasab pointed to Jundal's involvement

Mumbai: Indian security agencies may have got hold of 26/11 Mumbai attacks key handler Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal after one of the longest covert operation but it was some vital evidence provided by 26/11 death row convict Ajmal Kasab that pointed to his active involvement.

The hunt for Jundal and his eventual deportation to India had also involved seeking the help of Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani gunman who was part of terror outfit Lashker Taiba's Mumbai operation in 2008.

Immediately after the arrest of Jundal in the first week of May in Saudi Arabia last year following intelligence inputs provided by Indian security agencies, the authorities in Riyadh informed India about his detention.

Saudi Authorities at the same time also informed that his name was Riyasat Ali and he had a Pakistani Passport and Computerised Personal Identification Card issued at Karachi, officials associated with the probe said on Sunday. The photograph of Jundal was discreetly sent to Kasab, who is lodged in the high-security Arthur Road jail in Mumbai, to identify the person but the accused could not identify him, official sources said.

The sources pointed fingers at the outdated data base of wanted people especially by Maharashtra Police which was giving anxious moments to security agencies.

This operation to identify Jundal was kept under wraps and even the higher ups in Maharashtra Police were not kept in the loop.