Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: A key witness who deposed against Indian nationals Faheem and Sabauddin in the 26/11 case has gone missing, the prosecution told the special court on Friday.
Nuruddin Mehboob Shaikh had yesterday, as a prosecution witness, highlighted the role of Sabahuddin and Ansari in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks conspiracy.
The court had called the witness today for
cross-examination at 11 AM but he failed to turn up.
Special public prosecutor Ujjawal Nikam told the court
that crime branch officials had gone to the residence of
the witness to fetch him but his wife had said that Shaikh had
left home early morning, saying that he has to go to the
court.
"This is a serious matter," Judge M L Tahaliyani
observed and said he would decide later on what steps the
court should take in the matter.
Nikam also said that the identity of the witness had
been kept secret earlier and was disclosed to the defence
lawyer only yesterday for cross-examination.
Faheem and Sabauddin, both Indian nationals, are
facing trial along with Pakistani national Mohammed Ajmal Amir
Kasab.
The police have launched a massive manhunt to trace the missing man.
Yesterday, Shaikh, a Mumbai driver, had claimed to have known Ansari since the past 30 years since both were residents of the same locality in Mumbai. He said that he had also visited Ansari’s room in Nepal and hence was witness to many an incriminating episode there.
Police today formed three teams
to trace the key witness.
"Three crime branch teams consisting of seven policemen
each have been formed to locate the witness and we are putting
in our best efforts," crime branch chief
Rakesh Maria said told reporters.
"Shaikh's wife told us that he left the residence at
around 6.30 am saying he was going to the court. He also left
behind his mobile phone at home," Maria said.
"The non availability of witness for cross-examination
will affect the case adversely. He is a very important witness
who can nail the two accused in the 26/11 terror attack," said
Maria, who supervised the Mumbai terror attacks probe.
In his testimony, Shaikh said that while on a visit to Nepal in January 2008, he had a chance meeting with Ansari in Kathmandu. Ansari invited him to his guesthouse on New Road for a chat. Around 8.30 pm, Sabahuddin came to the room and asked Ansari, “Did you do the work assigned by Lakhvi?”
Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi is a key Lashkar-e-Toiba commander and features high on India’s most wanted list. His name has featured prominently post 26/11 as one the main handler of the Mumbai attackers, someone who saw them off in Karachi.
Interpol has also issued a Red Corner Notice against him.
Shaikh, told the prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam that Faheem then produced some papers and gave them to Sabauddin, but they slipped out of his hand and lay scattered on the floor.
The witness said he saw hand-drawn maps of some locations of Mumbai lying on the floor and asked Faheem since when he was engaged in the business of making maps.
Sabauddin intervened to say that some friends from Pakistan wanted to visit Mumbai and hence he had asked for the maps, the witness told prosecutor Nikam.
Shaikh said he got curious and asked Faheem why he had drawn the maps when printed ones were available in the market.
Faheem replied that the printed maps did not contain full information and hence he had to draw them.
The witness said that before departing from the guest house, Sabauddin had informed him that he was a resident of Madhubani in Bihar. Thereafter Shaikh said he too left the guest house and went to his hotel where he stayed.
"The next day, I met Sabauddin in the bazaar and enquired about Faheem. I was told that Faheem had gone for some work and would not be immediately available," the witness said during examination by Nikam.
Shaikh identified Faheem and Sabauddin in the court and even the maps he had seen in their possession in Nepal.
"These are the same maps I had seen with them in Nepal," he said.
Immediately after the examination of witness, Faheem got up to say that the witness was not known to him since childhood and that he had never met him before.