'Mumbai police had little knowledge about militant strength'

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) The Mumbai Police had "little
knowledge" about the number of terrorists involved in the
26/11 attacks and the NSG was helped by the Intelligence
Bureau with certain vital inputs, says former NSG chief J K
Dutt.

Dutt, who himself led the National Security Guards (NSG)
operations to flush out the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists, said
he had some information about the actual number of militants
before launching the commando operation and was helped by
Intelligence Bureau with vital inputs.

"The Mumbai Police had little knowledge about the
strength of the terrorists even after arresting Mohammed Ajmal
Iman Kasab (the arrested terrorist) and told us that there
were between four and 20 terrorists," he told PTI here.

"Locally (in the Mumbai Police), the figure was varying.
It was put between 4-20 by the Mumbai Police. But, the
Intelligence Bureau from New Delhi told me that my men had to
account for eight AK rifles. It gave an indication of the
presence of eight men," Dutt, who retired recently as NSG
chief, said.

"I met Maharashtra Director General A N Roy in the early
hours of November 27 at his office as by then Kasab was
arrested...but we did not get a definite number," Dutt said.

The final figure of eight terrorists, whom the NSG
commandos eventually killed at three locations, was arrived at
only in the morning of November 29 when the body of the last
terrorist killed at the Taj was sniffed out by dog squad from
under the rubbles, he said.

Even Sandra Samuel, who escaped with baby Moshe from the
Nariman House when terrorists laid siege there, was of little
help as she too failed to provide information about the number
of terrorists in the building, Dutt said.

"By the evening of November 28 we had an inkling that
there could be seven to eight men but the actual figure was
still eluding us.

"Whether there were eight terrorists with same number of
AK-47's or a lesser or larger number was the question," Dutt,
who retired on February 28 from the counter-terror and
anti-hijack force, said.

Dutt said soon after the attack began on the fateful
night of November 26, he contacted Maharashtra Director
General of Police (DGP) A N Roy and asked whether he needed
the service of NSG.

But he was later told by the state government
authorities that although a decision to this effect has been
taken, the Maharashtra Chief Minister was not in Mumbai and
the Chief Minister's clearance would be needed to proceed
further. PTI NES