Ringside View

The chief investigating officer of the 26/11 attacks remains indispensable even after his retirement.

- Pooja Biraia Jaiswal

They told us that we have to kill as many citizens as possible.... Just before departure, I began to see myself as Sameer Dinesh Chaudhary from Teachers Colony in Bengaluru, with a red thread tied around my wrist.

This translated excerpt from Ramesh Mahale’s upcoming Marathi book, Kasab aani Mee (Kasab and Me), is of Ajmal Kasab talking to the investigation team. In the book, Mahale, retired senior police inspector, Mumbai Police, gives a vivid account of the time he spent with the terrorist, behind five layers of security, as chief investigating officer of the 26/11 attacks.

It was not easy to keep his fury in check when a man responsible for the death of hundreds was seated in front of him, arrogant and unremorseful. “Of course, everyone wanted to kill him,” says Mahale. “But for me, the point was to thrash him with my pen by making foolproof documents.”