One morning in January 2009, Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured alive during the November 26, 2008 attacks, told Investigating Officer Ramesh Mahale, "It has been eight years and you haven't hanged Afzal Guru, I have enough time."
Mahale, 56, then a Senior Inspector with the Crime Branch, was surprised. "I was unaware of the number of years Guru had been waiting. Further questioning revealed that Kasab had not only undergone physical training, but also knew enough about our legal landscape," he recalls, five years after the Mumbai Attacks
On the night of the 26/11 attacks, Mahale was outside Hotel Trident, co-ordinating rescue operations, when he was sent to Nair Hospital.
His brief was clear: a "fidayeen" had been picked up alive and he had to interrogate him. Recalling the journey to the hospital, Mahale remembers how he kept repeating the word "fidayeen" to himself.
"I began thinking of conviction and all the things essential to hang a terrorist... I often tell everyone that this country owes a huge debt to Tukaram Omble (the police officer who helped nab Kasab)," he says. His first impression of Kasab was "ekdum chikna, ekdum smart, but phir ekdum bachkanda (fair, smart but childish).
Having worked in terror cases before, Mahale knew that "direct evidence" was everything. "We needed proof. Aur Pakistan ko ungli karne ke liye, pehli baar kuch haath laga tha (we got the chance to blame Pakistan for the first time)," he says. Chairs were arranged next to Kasab's bed and for over three hours, he spoke to him. "You could see the level of training from the first day itself. He spoke without fear, and there was a sense of total surrender in his words. His eyes never wavered," recalls Mahale.
Within the first few hours, Mahale called for an age determination test to confirm that Kasab was an adult. "Usually, ward boys prepare the documents in such tests. I asked for a doctor. I thought the trial would be difficult and how much evidence could a ward boy give," he says.
For the next three months, Mahale met Kasab everyday, till the end of his police custody in February 2009. Mahale became the face of the investigation for Kasab, so much so that he was picked to escort the terrorist on his last journey, from Mumbai's Arthur Road jail to Pune's Yerawada Jail.
During the months that Kasab was in police custody, every precaution was taken to ensure his safety. "Just minutes before lunch hour, a home-cooked tiffin of an officer would be picked and given to him. This was never planned in advance as we didn't want to take any chance," says Mahale, adding that Kasab was only given mineral water.
"There is always a good cop-bad cop technique. In his case, we didn't beat him up, as he spoke. But during his interrogation, there would be a bad cop, and then me. Everything was a strategy," recalls Mahale.
On Eid, Mahale even gave Kasab a salwar-kameez. "I told him it was Eid and he could wear it during prayers... That was our strategy to win him. Besides, what else can you give a man whose end was near," says Mahale.
A team of 98 officers worked to build the "tightest probe", with 12 separate cases made. The Crime Branch prepared a docket of 350 pages based on Kasab's interrogation.
He recalls asking Kasab about his farewell from Pakistan. "It was the only time I sensed fear in him. He said (Lashkar leader) Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi's last words to them were: 'don't come back alive, but more importantly don't get arrested at any cost'," says Mahale. While he missed his mother, Kasab never spoke well of his father. Before leaving Pakistan, "they were given Rs 6,000... they all bought boots," says Mahale.
In late 2012, Mahale got a call from the trial court one morning. "I wasn't told anything, but I knew the time had come. On November 12, Police Commisioner Satyapal Singh briefed me in his chamber. He wanted Kasab to be taken from Mumbai to Pune. He wanted a team of men to be prepared," says Mahale.
On the evening of November 19, 2012, Joint Commissioner of Police Sadanand Date called him and told him to arrange for an extra set of clothes. He made a quick call to his wife. "I served a long stint in the Anti-Corruption Bureau, so she was aware of the procedures," he says.
At around midnight, Kasab was woken up and taken to a vehicle. There were six vehicles in the convoy — all Scorpios with tinted glasses. Kasab was made to sit in the middle seat, with two jail personnel on either side. Mahale sat in the front seat, next to the driver. Through the journey, the convoy maintained a pre-decided speed.
Their instructions were clear: no phone calls from anyone except the police commissioner, joint commissioner (law and order) and two special ranks. "In hindsight, I feel that it was a test, as I was asked not to take any calls from my immediate seniors. The deputy commissioner of police (crime), additional commissioner and reader of the joint commissioner of police (crime) kept calling me. But I didn't pick up any of the calls," he says.
Mahale did not speak to Kasab during the journey. "He was intelligent. The only regret I have is that despite our questioning skills, he named Abu Jundal in an open court... We have Jundal in our records due to technical surveillance, where his voice has been captured and evidence placed, but never from Kasab," says Mahale.
After they reached Yerawada Jail, at about 3:30 am, the vehicles were taken to a far corner. "I escorted him till where I could. Before we parted, I told him, 'Afzal Guru ko aat saal lage, tere liye sirf char (Afzal Guru's case has taken eight years, yours took just four years)'. He just smiled, walked a step and turned. 'Bas aap logon ki jeet hai (It is your victory),' he said," says Mahale, who has since taken voluntary retirement.
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