Shah hid the weapons and the ammunition in secret cavities built inside the van. Soon after, he and Atharv left for Ludhiana, sticking to interior roads. Atharv was carrying a MapTech identity card, which he produced at barricades and told the security men that he was from Mumbai, where he was pursuing a programming course, and had come to Kashmir to seek admission in a college in the state. The van was rigorously checked on three occasions by security men, but they did not find the concealed cavities.

Twelve hours after they had left Osama’s hideout, Shah dropped Atharv off at the Ludhiana railway station. Atharv bought two sweaters at the railway station and stuffed them inside the rucksack, which had two disassembled AK-47s, grenades and ammunition. He then bought a ticket for the Ludhiana–Borivali Tejasvi Express, scheduled to depart an hour later for Mumbai. At 11 p.m., he found a seat by the window inside a coach meant for passengers with no reservation.

Almost all his co-passengers had several pieces of luggage. Among the suitcases, baskets, rolled-up mattresses and quilts, Atharv’s rucksack was inconspicuous.

On reaching Borivali station in Mumbai, Atharv stuck close to a Gujarati family that was travelling with a lot of luggage. As they were leaving the platform, two railway policemen gestured to Atharv and the head of the Gujarati family to stop. One of the policemen asked the family man to show him what they had in their ten-odd bags and suitcases.

‘We had gone to Kashmir for sightseeing. The bags have our belongings – clothes, dried fruit, picture frames, etc.,’ the man said and offered a bag for inspection. The policeman peered inside intently. Finally, he nodded and told him and Atharv that they could go.

An hour later, as Atharv was on his way to Reay Road, his phone rang. It was a call from Dubai.

‘Hello, this is Atharv,’ he said and paused, listening. ‘Okay, yes, please connect me to him,’ he then responded. The man, who looked after the Lashkar’s safehouses in Dubai, had informed him that Al-Wali wanted to speak to him.

‘Atharv, take the project files to Bandra. Drop them off at room number 201, Nilgiri Hotel, near Himalaya Studio, in Bandra West,’ he said curtly.

‘Okay, I am on my way to Reay Road,’ Atharv said.

‘Go to Bandra first,’ Al-Wali instructed him. ‘At Nilgiri Hotel, tell the person at the reception desk that you are their guest Shrikant Joshi’s brother and that Joshi left the room’s key for you at the reception. Keep the file inside the small water tank on the shelf near the bathroom. The tank is empty. Call on this number at 6 p.m. today.’

‘Okay, sure,’ Atharv said.