New Delhi: Officers who worked on the probe into the Mumbai 26/11 attacks say the investigation remains highly complex: while the Pakistan connection is evident, significant mysteries endure.
A central question since the attacks has been whether the ten terrorists could have executed the operation so effectively without assistance from local contacts. After the attack, investigators received information that a woman had accompanied the terrorists to Lady Cama Hospital on the night in question. That detail was passed to the Ram Pradhan Committee but was not pursued as part of the committee’s remit.
The Ram Pradhan Committee, constituted to examine security lapses and recommend measures to strengthen police response, was told that a burqa-clad woman allegedly guided the attackers to Lady Cama Hospital. The committee was also informed that the terrorists had not arrived in Mumbai on the day of the assault and that the woman purportedly sheltered them for several days beforehand. The committee did not take up the matter officially, and although the central government was alerted at the time, no follow-up action was taken, officials say.
Investigators have flagged a possible link between the woman and diesel smuggling networks and have suggested she may have had connections with the Dawood Ibrahim syndicate; these leads were not examined during the original probe, which ultimately concluded that the attackers had operated without local help.
Questions have also been raised about David Headley’s activities during his multiple visits to Mumbai. Headley cultivated some influential acquaintances while in the city, allegedly to create cover for repeated reconnaissance trips to the Taj Mahal Hotel and Trident-Oberoi. When he conducted the hotel reconnaissance, Headley had more detailed knowledge than was available to authorities. For instance, a stairway inside the Taj that the attackers repeatedly used did not appear on initial maps and was unknown to some security agencies; hotel staff later informed officials about it. That lack of awareness contributed to delays in the response and to heavy casualties inside the hotel.
Another unresolved figure is a man identified as Basheer. According to records, Headley was received by Basheer each time he arrived in Mumbai, and Headley himself admitted being received by him. Despite that admission, little is known about Basheer or his role, because that line of inquiry was not pursued. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is expected to focus on this aspect while interrogating Tahawwur Rana, who is currently in NIA custody.
Officials say every angle should be investigated thoroughly so that no aspect is left out. They stress that, alongside examining the extent of direct involvement by elements in Pakistan, probing local links is essential — many alleged local participants are reportedly still at large, and officials say it is important to bring them to justice for their part in one of the largest conspiracies against the nation.
