Headley had Lalbaugcha Raja on terror list

MUMBAI: Even the Mumbai's King could have been on the terror hitlist. David Headley, the LeT operative who allegedly masterminded the 26/11 attacks, had reportedly conducted a reconnaissance of the Lalbaugcha Raja in 2008. According to a source in the security establishment, during interrogations by a National Investigation Agency team in the US a few months ago, Headley had confessed that he had considered Lalbaugcha Raja as a target.
"However, with the large crowd of devotees coming in the way, he could not manage to enter the pandal. However, instead, he visited a few nearby Ganesh pandals to get a general idea of the layout and security system,'' the source said. Headley had reportedly conducted a recce of several establishments in Mumbai, including the Taj, Trident and CST, that were attacked on the night of 26/11 when 10 Pakistani gunmen unleashed terror on the city.
After Headley's confession about Lalbaugcha Raja, the police as well as central agencies are taking extra precautions at the venue, which is visited by lakhs during the 10-day Ganpati festival.
For Lalbaugcha Raja, even the organisers are stepping up security. They have hired a private detective as well as a security agency and about 2,000 guards will be present at the pandal at any given time. Special lights have also been arranged for and hundreds of armed policemen will take guard. As they mingle with the crowd, cops in mufti will also keep an eye on visitors.
A senior police official said, "Ideally, each devotee should be frisked, but given the large number of visitors, it will not be possible. However, random frisking will be done.'' Scores of volunteers have also been roped in.