Karkare's body was taken to JJ without jacket

He was taken from Bombay Hospital to JJ clad in just underwear, says panchnama, raising doubts on JJ sweeper's claim he binned jacket

He was taken from Bombay Hospital to JJ clad in just underwear, says panchnama, raising doubts on JJ sweeper's claim he binned jacket

A new twist has been added to the Mumbai police investigations into the missing bulletproof jacket worn by slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare on 26/11.

Piecing the jigsaw puzzle together, investigators say that Karkare, a 1982 batch IPS officer, was killed in an ambush near Cama Hospital, along with Ashok Kamte and encounter specialist Vijay Salaskar during the November 26 terror attacks. Karkare and Kamte were then taken to Bombay Hospital.

According to police records, both the officers were bleeding profusely on the way to hospital, where they were declared dead.

Minutes later, senior officers in the police control room ordered that Karkare and Kamte be taken to the government JJ Hospital as part of standard procedure followed by the Mumbai police.

Parting shot: Slain ATS chief Hemant Karkare, few minutes before he was gunned down by the terrorists on 26/11

Senior Inspector Jayant Sarmokadam from the L T Marg police station added that he had taken Vijay Salaskar to G T Hospital.

Log records have led investigators to believe that Karkare was treated at Bombay Hospital after removing his bulletproof jacket and then, sent on to JJ Hospital, according to the panchnama, in a white vest and underwearu00a0 without his bulletproof jacket.

This in effect, say sources, disproves media reports that a sweeper at JJ Hospital had thrown the jacket in a garbage disposal bag.

Insiders disclosed that the jacket was dumped at Azad Maidan before it went missing and the needle of suspicion points to a caucus of police officers involved in buying sub-standard bulletproof jackets.

Details on the missing jacket comes in the wake of Kavita Karkare filing an RTI application, asking for information about her husband's bulletproof jacket.

It was then that the Maharashtra government told her that the jacket had been misplaced, prompting a probe.

On November 30, just days after the massacre, MiD DAY published how 110 bulletproof jackets had been accepted for use by the Mumbai police even though they were of poor quality.

"Every detail leading to the missing jacket needs to be investigated thoroughly," said former IPS officer and advocate Y P Singh, who drafted the RTI petition for petitioner Santosh Daundkar.

Rs 500 Crore
Estimated losses incurred by the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, where the standoff took place for the longest time

5,000
Approximate number of letters of appreciation the Mumbai Fire Brigade received for their bravery during the terror attacks

2
Number of times David Headley allegedly stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower in 2008