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LeT motivations, world view were very compatible with ISI leadership

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Hearings in the US Senate in 2009 on the lessons learnt from the 26/11 Mumbai attacks had clearly spelt out the nexus between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

The Senate hearings, which had inputs from intelligence officials, FBI and NYPD, had in detail discussed the LeT as the perpetrator of the ghastly Mumbai attacks.

The hearings testified that LeT was founded by three individuals, one of whom was supposedly a mentor to Osama bin Laden.

“But it became very quickly tied to ISI because its motivations and its world view were very compatible with the leadership of the ISI at that time,” they said.

“From the very beginning, LeT was one of the principal beneficiaries of the Pakistani intelligence service’s generosity, because of its very strong commitment to jihad, which was seen by the ISI as being particularly valuable in Pakistan’s ongoing conflict with India,” it was said.

LeT’s objectives, however, have always transcended South Asia.

“If you look at the LeT website, if you listen to the remarks made by Hafiz Saeed, the leader of the LeT, and read its numerous publications, there are recurrent references to both Israel and the US as being co-joined targets of LeT objectives in addition to India, and there is frequent reference to the Zionist-Hindu-Crusader axis, which seems to animate a great deal of LeT’s antipathy to liberal democracy, which it sees as being implacably opposed to Islam,” the testimonies added.

At that time, Indian intelligence services had assessed that LeT maintains a terrorist presence in at least 21 countries worldwide, and this terrorist presence takes a variety of forms, everything from liaison and networking to the facilitation of terrorist acts by third parties, fundraising, procurement of weapons and explosives, recruitment of volunteers for suicide missions, creation of sleeper cells, including in the US, and actual armed conflict.

US officials had testified that of all the terrorist groups that are present in South Asia today, LeT represents a threat to regional and global security second only to al-Qaeda. This is because of its ideology.

Its ideology is shaped by the Ahl al-Hadith school of Saudi Wahhabism and its objectives are focused on creating a universal Islamic Caliphate, essentially through means of preaching and jihad, and both these instruments are seen as co-equal in LeT’s world view.

A very distinctive element of LeT’s objective is what it calls the recovery of lost Muslim lands, i.e., lands that were once governed by Muslim rulers, but which have since passed to other political dispensations, officials said.

The objective of creating this universal Islamic Caliphate has made LeT a very close collaborator of al-Qaeda and it has collaborated with the al-Qaeda in Afghanistan since at least 1987.

Its objective of recovering lost Muslim lands has pushed LeT into a variety of theatres outside South Asia.

“We have identified LeT presence in areas as diverse as Palestine, Spain, Chechnya, Kosovo and Eritrea,” the officials had said.

Crime

Mumbai Police Detain 450 Bangladeshi Nationals In Crackdown Against Illegal Immigrants Since Jan 1; Over 200 Deported So Far

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Police have detained around 450 Bangladeshi nationals since January 1 as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration and related activities across the city. Of these, approximately 224 individuals have already been deported, while several others remain in custody or detention centres pending legal clearance.

Among the recent cases, the Versova Police detained 23 individuals allegedly involved in begging at traffic signals and religious sites. Police sources said these individuals were residing in rented accommodations in Malwani, Malad.

The action began on February 5, when an Anti-Trafficking Cell (ATC) team led by Senior Inspector Deepshikha Ware and PSI Sachin Ugle conducted a crackdown near Versova Dargah, detaining 18 individuals. Based on further interrogation, five more were picked up on February 18. In total, Versova police have detained 27 Bangladeshi nationals this year, of whom 26 have been deported.

The drive follows similar action last year, when 1,061 Bangladeshi nationals were detained for residing illegally in Mumbai.

Police station-wise data till March 27 shows that detainees awaiting deportation are spread across multiple jurisdictions. The highest numbers were reported in Kurla (11), Bandra (10), Deonar (7), and Powai (6). Several other police stations, including Amboli, Nagpada, Oshiwara, and Park Site, reported five detainees each, while areas such as Santacruz, Byculla, Trombay and Shivaji Park recorded four each.

Additional cases were reported across localities including Dadar, Wadala, Sakinaka, Colaba, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Govandi, Malwani and Malabar Hill, among others, indicating the widespread nature of the crackdown.

The deportation process has been carried out in phases. On March 27, a total of 51 individuals were deported, including 20 from Mumbai. On March 29, 44 deportations from Mumbai were scheduled, but six were stayed by the Bombay High Court. On April 5, another batch of 50 individuals from Mumbai and five from Navi Mumbai were deported.

However, several deportations have been delayed due to judicial intervention. In one case registered at Amboli police station, three detainees filed a writ petition, leading the High Court to stay their deportation until further hearings. Similarly, the deportation of a woman in the Antop Hill case has been deferred for a month.

In another instance linked to Chunabhatti, deportation has been stayed until the next hearing date. In the Versova case, a sessions court has stayed the sentence, with the next hearing scheduled for May 21, 2026.

Authorities said the drive will continue, with a focus on identifying illegal residents and ensuring due legal process in each case.

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Crime

Mumbai Police Book Jogeshwari Constable Accused Of Using Fake Medical Documents For 49-Day Leave

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Mumbai: The Jogeshwari police have booked a constable for allegedly submitting forged medical documents with fake signatures to obtain leave. The police investigated the matter up to Nashik before registering a case. This is likely one of the first cases against police personnel in Mumbai for allegedly remaining absent from duty using fake medical documents. The police have also booked an unidentified individual in connection with the case. The accused has been identified as Gajendra Rajput.


A police officer of Jogeshwari police station said, “The accused constable was earlier arrested by the Juhu police in an extortion case. We took his custody through the court in connection with the fake medical documents case, arrested him, and produced him before the court. The court granted him bail, and he has since been released.”

According to the FIR, the accused is Gajendra Rajput, who is attached to the Jogeshwari police station. In November and December last year, he informed his seniors that he was suffering from haemorrhoids and sought medical leave. He submitted prescriptions and treatment papers allegedly issued by Tulasi Hospital, a private hospital in Nashik, and availed 49 days of medical leave.

His seniors grew suspicious and initiated an inquiry. The police approached the hospital in Nashik and sought Rajput’s medical records. As there are two hospitals with the name Tulasi Hospital in Nashik, the police verified details with the second hospital. A police personnel from Jogeshwari police station visited the hospital, where it was revealed that Rajput had not undergone any such treatment. Although his name appeared in the hospital records as a patient, he had not received treatment for the claimed period.

Further investigation revealed that Rajput had allegedly created four forged documents. One was a medical certificate dated November 2025 stating that he required 15 days’ rest due to prolapsed haemorrhoids. The second, dated December 2025, recommended bed rest and follow-up treatment. A third document claimed that he was fit to resume duty, while a fourth was a fake discharge card. 
Based on these documents, Rajput allegedly availed 49 days of leave in two phases.

Dr Yogesh Shinde informed the police that he had not signed any of these documents and that his signature had been forged.

Following this, Sandesh Pawar, 29, Marketing Director of Tulasi Hospital, lodged a complaint on behalf of the hospital against Rajput and an unidentified individual.

The police have registered an FIR under Sections 336(3) and 336(4) (forgery), 340 (using forged documents as genuine), and 3(5) (general explanation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on April 3.

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Crime

Husband Slits Wife’s Throat At Petrol Pump In Broad Daylight, Arrested In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, April 10: A 26-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her husband at a petrol pump in the Karmad area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday afternoon, police said. The incident unfolded in front of staff members and several customers, leaving those present in shock.

In a fit of rage, the husband allegedly took out a knife and slit the victim’s throat. The accused, identified as Satyam Gavande, was arrested shortly after the crime.

The deceased, Pooja Gavande, worked at a fuel station near the Ganapati temple in Karmad. According to police, Satyam arrived at the petrol pump on a two wheeler and confronted her while she was attending to her duties.

What began as an argument quickly escalated into violence.

Police officials said the couple had been facing ongoing marital discord and were living separately. Pooja had married Satyam around six months ago after the death of her first husband.

Superintendent of Police Vinaykumar Rathod said the accused had been pressuring her for a divorce as he wanted to remarry. However, she had refused, reportedly keeping in mind the future of her two young children from her first marriage.

During the confrontation, the accused allegedly pulled out a knife, pushed Pooja to the ground and attacked her repeatedly before anyone could intervene. She died on the spot.

The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the petrol pump and is now a key part of the investigation.

Sources said the petrol pump owner attempted to stop the attack but was threatened with the weapon. The accused then tried to flee, causing panic among those present.

Police teams reached the spot soon after being alerted, sent the body for postmortem and registered a case of murder. The accused was traced to Kachner village and arrested within a short span.

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