26/11 key accused Abu Jundal has made chilling revelations about life in a markaz ufffd from strict discipline, punishment meted out to rule breakers, to ingenious methods of income to further terror projects
Key 26/11 accused Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal has made chilling revelations about a training camp in Muzaffarpur area in PoK.
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Terror trail: Abu Jundal said that the operatives were trained in Hindi and the city’s topography
It was in this operating centre, known as markaz, that Jundal admittedly trained 10 Pakistani terrorists who later attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
Training included imparting lessons in basic Hindi and familiarising them with Mumbai’s topography.
Jundal was arrested from Indira Gandhi International Airport on June 21, and was kept in the custody of Delhi police for a while, before being handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch for interrogations. In his statement to the Crime Branch, Jundal, who hails from Beed district in Maharashtra, said that the camp in Muzaffarpur was a kind of temporary colony built solely for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives.
The markaz had at least six to seven separate spaces earmarked for temporary accommodation, offices, and godowns to store food grains, all located close to Al Dawa Hospital in Muzaffarpur.
Owing to mounting pressure after the 26/11 massacre, the camp was destroyed, and replaced by a new centre at Dulai in Pakistan.
Jundal revealed that all the operatives who were trained in Karachi were accommodated at the centre before the attack.
Strict discipline was enforced at the camp, and tabs were kept on interaction between inhabitants.
While those deputed for the 26/11 attack were confined to one room, their mentors who were mentally preparing them were asked to maintain strict discipline around the camp.
Seniors punished
Recollecting an incident that took place during training for 26/11, Jundal revealed that LeT’s operations chief Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi once sent the Muzaffarpur camp chief Abu Zibran to receive one Maulana to the camp. During his meeting, Zibran inadvertently introduced himself, and began enquiring about the visitor as well.
Soon after Maulana left the camp, Zaki was informed about the interaction. As punishment, the senior officer was put on kitchen duty, having to wash utensils for an entire week. “The punishment was a message to all the operatives in the camp to not break rules. Jundal explained that this was why he was acquainted with many in the camp without having any knowledge about their real identities,” said a Crime Branch officer on the condition of anonymity.
Money from rubble
Jundal also revealed that the markaz was affected during the earthquake in 2005. The officers at the camp acquired three huge JCB machines, which they used to clear the debris. The vehicles were then let out in the adjoining areas on rent. Since the scale of destruction in Muzaffarpur was widespread, there was a huge demand for these vehicles, and raked in quite a fortune by way of rent. All the money was routed for terror activities.u00a0
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