‘The destination on the ticket was IIS&T. If the ticket belonged to Joshi, it is likely he got off at that bus stop. But did he get off there to go to IIS&T? We don’t know. But we cannot take a chance, in case he did go there, as he is clearly a man on a mission. The local police have been alerted and they are in touch with IIS&T to ramp up security there. We have also shared Joshi’s sketch with IIS&T and the police, but we cannot put it up on roads and in public places as that will make the LeT suspicious. Atharv was probably one of the few who met him. So, he might get busted.’

‘Why would Joshi be interested in IIS&T?’ Somaiya wondered.

‘We have asked IIS&T if there is anything happening at their campus that the LeT may want to target, but we have not heard from them yet.’

‘There is also the possibility that IIS&T was not Joshi’s final destination. Is there anything nearby that could be a potential LeT target?’ Somaiya asked.

‘Yes, there is an HPCL refinery about six kilometres from the bus stop. We have ramped up security there, especially as the facility has been on LeT’s radar before. Security and surveillance have also been on high alert at the Bharat Atomic Science and Research Centre. Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra and Goa are on high alert too. But so far we only have the sketch to go on, which, as I said, is unlikely to resemble him,’ Shekhar said, sounding tired.

‘Let’s see, we will have to wait for a break,’ said Somaiya as he finished his tea.

44. RING THE BELLS

44

RING THE BELLS

The phone rang. Shekhar and Somaiya were still at the CTC safehouse in south Mumbai, discussing ways to intercept the Lashkar operation that was clearly under way. The call was for Shekhar.

As soon as he got off the phone, he turned to Somaiya. ‘It seems IIS&T is the LeT target after all. The call was from the dean of the institution. He said that on 5 January there is a lecture by a Nobel laureate, an American physicist, and scientists from Bharat Atomic Science and Research Centre will be in attendance as the American is a respected authority on nuclear energy.’

‘Is Shrikant Joshi targeting the American scientist or our BASRC scientists?’ Somaiya wondered. ‘I suppose it doesn’t matter. Either way, it’ll make a splash.’

‘The event is a pot of honey, if LeT is the bear.’

‘No chance can be taken with the security for this event,’ Somaiya said.

‘I agree,’ Shekhar said as he punched a number into his phone. He was dialling the Mumbai police commissioner, A.P. Saxena.