CBI seeks FBI help in 26/11 attacks case

Mumbai, Feb 9: Reports suggest that the Crime Branch of India has approached the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for help in attaching the proof of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services being used by the the terrorists who attacked Mumbai in Nov last year with their leaders in port-city of Karachi in Pakistan.

Sources inside the investigating agencies said that FBI's help is sought in sharing the proofs like call details made through VoIP and from the Satellite phone. Senior officials in the agency are of the view that though the case is strong enough, such kinds of proofs would further nail Pakistan's claims that the Mumbai terror plot was hatched outside and not in their land. They also said that Islamabad's claims that the conspiracy was planned in Bangladesh was absolutely wrong.

India and the United States of America share a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) which came into effect on Dec 3, 2005. According to the treaty, the ability of the two countries to pursue their common objective of law enforcement of putting in place a legal mechanism to enable them to provide to each other assistance in connection with the investigation, prosecution, prevention and suppression of crime including those relating to terrorism.

Sources said that probe into the Mumbai attacks revealed earlier that the payment for VoIP service was made from Karachi, indicating Pak link to the attack. Mumbai police with the help of FBI found that the account had been purchased on a fake identity card in Karachi for which 300 dollars were routed through the Western Union money transfer services.

The ten terrorists who attacked Mumbai used the VoIP number brought from Orlando, Florida in the US to remain in touch with their leader like Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, (Lashkar-e-Toiba commander) who is supposed to be the mastermind of the terror plot.

FBI's critical analysis and decoding of data packets led them to two VoIP numbers which were accessed from six Indian mobile phone numbers, the sources said. Indian investigating agency has also asked to share the call details of the Gulf-based satellite phone service operator which was being used by terrorists.

The US agency has also registered a case into the 26/11 strike as per laws as 6 US citizens were killed by terrorists in the attacks.

What is VoIP?

VoIP is a technology that enables a person to make and receive phone calls through the Internet. Voice is converted into packets of data, sent out over the Internet through a broadband connection, and reassembled at the other end of the line.

OneIndia News (With inputs from Agencies)