Magistrate denies recording false confession of Ajmal Kasab

MUMBAI: A magistrate, who had recorded the confession of 26/11 Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab, today denied before the Pakistani Judicial Commission that she had recorded a false statement of the gunman to fix LeT leader Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

The 8-member Pakistani commission is here to cross examine four Indian witnesses to carry forward the prosecution of seven suspects, including Lakhvi, facing the 26/11 trial in a court of the neighbouring country.

The evidence of Indian witnesses is being recorded by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate P Y Ladekar. Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam represents the Government of India.

"It is not true that I recorded false statement of Kasab when he was produced before me for giving confession", said R V Sawant-Waghule in reply to a question put by Lakhvi's lawyer who is a member of the commission.

To another question by Lakhvi's lawyer whether Kasab's confession was recorded immediately after he was produced, the magistrate said first his (Kasab's) police remand was changed to judicial remand and then he was given time to retrospect once again whether he wanted to confess.

"It is only after sufficient time was given to Kasab to think about giving a confession that his statement was recorded", said the magistrate during cross-examination.

In another development, the 26/11 investigating officer Ramesh Mahale identified before court the mobile phones, Global Positioning System (GPS) and a dinghy used by the ten terrorists who came from Pakistan on November 26, 2008 to carry out terror attacks.

Mahale also identified in the court the Yamaha engine fitted to the dinghy. The terrorists had carried with them a dinghy when they travelled in a boat from Karachi enroute to Mumbai. When they were close to the Mumbai coast, they used the dinghy to reach the shores.

Mahale said GPS showed marking of Karachi-Mumbai route and also locations in Mumbai such as Leopold Cafe and Badhwar Park. While Leopold Cafe was a target of terrorists, Badhwar Park was the place where they landed by boat from Pakistan, he told the Commission.