Kasab says slain militant Jindal didn't teach him Hindi:Police

Mumbai, Sept 11 (PTI) Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist
arrested in the 26/11 terror strike, has said that Abu Jindal,
the LeT 'commander' killed in an encounter in India's
northernmost state Jammu and Kashmir recently, was not
involved in the Mumbai attack, a senior police officer said
here Friday.

Pakistani gunman Kasab replied in the negative when
photographs of Jindal were shown to him and asked if he was
the same person who taught him Hindi, the officer said.

"We have shown him (Kasab) Jindal's photographs
provided by JK police. Kasab nodded in the negative when asked
if the person in the photo was the same who taught them (he
and his associates) Hindi," the senior police official told
PTI.

Jindal, whose real name is Mohammad Owais, was killed
in an encounter with 61 Rastriya Rifles and Police in Bathoi
area in JK's Reasi district on September 4. Jindal is his
code-name, but he has also got names like Zaman and Noman.

Kasab, facing trial in the Mumbai attack case, had
told a special court in June that an Indian named Jindal had
taught him and the nine other terrorists to speak Hindi at an
LeT training camp in Pakistan.

He had also told the court that Jindal had seen them
off when they left Karachi via sea route for Mumbai to carry
out terror attacks.

However, even after Kasab's negative reply, the crime
branch of Mumbai police has not stopped its probe to ascertain
Jindal's role in the attacks.

A crime branch team has gone to Jammu and Kashmir to
verify and examine the evidences against Jindal gathered by
its counterpart there, the police officer said.

"The verification is still on as we can not completely
believe whatever Kasab says... earlier also he (Kasab) had
tried to confuse and misguide the investigating officers. Many
a times, he shifted blame on his co-accused despite his role
in several acts during the Mumbai terror attacks," the officer
said. PTI VM
PMR