Coast Guard and MoD were warned about terror vessel moving towards Mumbai a week before the attacks

D-ROLE: The people who allegedly control the smuggling racket on the Mumbai-Gujarat coast, are known to be close to Dawood Ibrahim's gang

India's premier external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had intercepted conversations between Pakistani army personnel and some fishermen in Jakhau in Kutch, that could have helped prevent the 26/11 terror attack.  

The interception made over several days in the first week of November by RAW's satellite station at Bhuj, in Gujarat, had revealed that a heavy consignment of arms was on its way from Pakistani waters to Mumbai. The intercepted conversation was being made on cellphones from Sir Creek, north of Okha.

Info passed on

RAW sources revealed that the information was passed on to the Ministry of Defence on November 18 eight days before the November 26 attack on Mumbai. Fishermen from Pakistan as well as India frequent Sir Creek, and its division is a subject of dispute between the two countries. 

Coast Guard officials confirmed that the intelligence input had been passed on to them as well, but said that they had been unable to locate the arms-laden vessel.

Importantly, the arms and ammunition seized from the terrorists, following the attack on Mumbai, bear the markings of the Pakistani army.

RAW's report on the Mumbai attack points to the probable involvement of Muzammil alias Yusuf and Anwar Patta. The Pattas, who allegedly control the smuggling racket on the Mumbai-Gujarat coast, are known to be close to gangster Dawood Ibrahim's gang in Gujarat.

RAW sources said that the transcript of the conversation has been sent to the National Security Council. "A few heads may roll in the next few days," said the source.