Terrorists' exit plan revealed

The terrorists who massacred over a hundred people in the city last week had a definite plan of retreat which included a Pakistani ship waiting in the high seas to take them back home.

After they had finished firing and causing maximum damage at their respective areas of operation, CST, the Taj and the Trident, the terrorists were supposed to take some hostages and using them as human shield negotiate for a boat to drop them to the high seas.

Azam Amir Qasab, the terrorist in custody of crime branch has told police that he and others in the group had been told by their handlers back in Pakistan that they would be saved as long as they managed to come to the sea after the attack. In fact swimming upto fifteen kilometres into the sea was part of the group's endurance training.

According to Qasab, his colleague at CST, Md Ismail Khan, who was leading the group and who was shot dead at chowpatty, had briefed them that they were supposed to take hostages after the attack and retreat to Cuffe Parade. From there they were supposed to take the same dinghy they came in, or negotiate for a boat, and take the same route they used to come to Mumbai. "In the high sea, they were told, there would be a ship waiting to ferry them back," said a senior officer with the crime branch, not wishing to be identified.

"They may have been fooled into believing that their lives could have been saved. But the instance of Kandhahar hijack was cited where top terrorists were freed to make them believe that their returning home was also possible. Their bosses had told them that even if some of them died in the operation, most of them would be saved," said the officer.