Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria has claimed in his new book titled Let Me Say It Now, that Lashkar-e-Taiba had planned for Ajmal Kasab to die as Bengaluru’s Samir Chaudhari to project the dastardly 26/11 attacks as a case of Hindu Terror, News18 has reported.

As per Maria, if everything went according to plan, Kasab would have died as Chaudhari and the media would have blamed “Hindu terrorists” for the attack. The terror organisation had also reportedly planted fake ID cards with Indian addresses for the terrorists.

“There would have been screaming headlines on newspapers claiming how Hindu terrorists had attacked Mumbai. Over the top TV journalists would have made a beeline for Bengaluru to interview his family and neighbours. But alas, it had not worked that way and here he was, Ajmal Amir Kasab of Faridkot in Pakistan”, writes Maria in his book.

It has been widely reported that Kasab was wearing a red thread on his right wrist which is believed to have been a Kalawa - a sacred Hindu thread. This led many to believe the theory that the perpetrators were planning to blame the 26/11 attacks as “Hindu terror”.

As per Maria this photo was shared by “central agencies” as the Mumbai police was striving not to leak details of the attack.

He claims in the book that both the ISI and LeT were striving to eliminate Kasab in the jail as he was the key evidence linking them with the attack. Maria adds that Dawood’s gang was tasked with eliminating Kasab.

Incidentally, many have alleged over the years that a nefarious plan was indeed afoot to blame 26/11 on “Hindu terror”.

As reported, martyred Mumbai constable Tukaram Omble’s heroic feat of capturing Kasab alive was key to foiling this plan.