|
"I'm running short of time," said the Anit Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare when he called the Bangalore FSL officials at 9.30 pm, just a couple of hours before he was gunned down by terrorists in Mumbai.
Karkare was investigating the Malegaon blasts. He was supposed to submit the narco analysis test reports of Swami Dayanand Pandey, a key suspect in the Malegaon blasts, to the court in Mumbai on Thursday.
"Get me the CD quickly. I want to present it before the court on Thursday. I need your help as it's a matter of urgency. I will send someone to collect the transcript. I want to submit all evidences against Pandey to the court on Thursday," he told the official of the FSL.
Little did he know that he would be diverted by another case the case which claimed his life. Karkare had never thought he wouldn't be able to go to the court on Thursday. Around 9 pm on Wednesday, after a gruelling 12-hour workday, all that this top cop could think of was "let's put the final nail in the coffin of the saffron terror investigation and move on."
"I saw him on TV after I reached home. With his headgear and bullet-proof vest, he was just charging in, leading right from the front ...," said an official, recalling the visuals of Karkare he saw on a TV channel before hearing the news about his death in the encounter.
"I was shocked. Initially, I could not believe it and I even thought that the media may have got the report wrong. I switched over to other channels and called a few officers in Mumbai and confirmed the news," the officer said.
"He was an able officer and a thorough gentleman. He was good to everyone. His junior officers held him in high regard and even considered him as their role model," said the officer, who did not wish to be quoted. | 
