'Kasab was to die as Hindu with sacred red thread around wrist'

Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria revealed in his book 'Let Me Say It Now' that 26/11 Mumbai attacker Ajmal Kasab would have died as a Hindu named Samir Chaudhary. According to Maria, if everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhary and the media would have blamed "Hindu terrorist" for the attack.

Mumbai: Former Mumbai police commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed in his book 'Let Me Say It Now' that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had planned to project the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack as a case of "Hindu terror" and Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Kasab to die as Bengaluru's Samir Chaudhari.

Kasab was seen wearing a red thread- Kalwa - a sacred Hindu thread on his right wrist.

In the photograph, Kasab was seen wearing a red thread- Kalwa - a sacred Hindu thread on his right wrist. This led many to believe the theory that the perpetrators were planning to blame the 26/11 attacks as 'Hindu terror'.

According to an except of Maria's book, if everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Bengaluru resident Samir Dinesh Chaudhary and the media would have blamed "Hindu terrorist" for the attack. He claimed fake identity cards with Indian addresses were planted for 26/11 terrorists.

Timeline: The Trial and Death of Ajmal Kasab

As per Maria, Kasab's photo was shared by "central agencies" as the police did not want to leak details of the attack.

"There would have been screaming headlines in newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan," Maria wrote in the book.

He also said that martyred Mumbai constable Tukaram Omble's heroic feat of capturing Kasab alive was key to foiling this plan.

According to the book, "Kasab joined the ranks of LeT to commit robberies and had nothing to do with jihad. Such, however, was the indoctrination, that Kasab was made to believe that Muslims were not allowed to offer namaaz in India."

To clear his misconceptions, Maria instructed Ramesh Mahale, one of the investigating team members, to take him to a mosque near Metro Cinema in a vehicle.

Witnessing the 'namaaz' in progress with his eyes, Kasab was quite bewildered as he even considered the daily five times 'azaan' (call to prayer for the Muslim faithful) -- which he could hear in the police lockup -- as a figment of his imagination.

According to the former police official, Kasab was given a week-long leave and Rs 1.25 lakh before being sent on the mission to strike Mumbai. He (Kasab) gave the money to his family for his sister's wedding.

Kasab, alongside fellow recruit Ismail Khan, killed 72 people in 2008 Mumbai attacks.

He was the only attacker captured alive by Mumbai police, In 2012, he was hanged on 21 November and buried at Yerwada jail in Pune.

(WITH INPUTS FROM AGENCIES)