The Hindu : New Delhi News : Police seize hard disks from two cybercafes

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Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009
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New Delhi

Police seize hard disks from two cybercafes

Devesh K. Pandey

Lashkar-e-Taiba conduit David Headley had sent e-mails from the cafes during his stay in Delhi

The hard disks will be sent for analysis to retrieve e-mails
It is learnt café employees got Headley’s passport copy as ID proof

NEW DELHI: Computer hard disks were seized by police on Tuesday from two cybercafes at Paharganj in Central Delhi, through which alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba conduit David Headley sent e-mails during his three-day stay here.

The search for cybercafes used by Headley had begun soon after investigating agencies learnt that he had stayed at De Holiday International and Hotel Anand during his visit to the Capital in the second week of March this year. While screening documents preserved by cybercafés of the area, the team zeroed in on “Kesri” and “Starview” from where Headley had surfed the Internet and sent e-mails. The two cafes are located at Chuna Mandi, near the hotels where Headley had stayed.

A police team visited the cafes on the direction of the National Investigation Agency that has registered a case against Headley and his accomplices, and seized the hard disks.

The disks will be sent for analysis to find out whether the e-mails sent about eight months ago can be retrieved. “It will be a tedious and time-taking process,” said an officer.

Enquiries from the cybercafé staff revealed that Headley had first gone to “Kesri” after which he went to the nearby “Starview” cafe on two consecutive days. It is learnt that the café employees had recorded Headley’s Internet usage time and obtained his passport’s photocopy as identification document.

“As instructed by the police we keep a record of visitors, particularly foreigners,” said one of them.

The cybercafes had also clicked photographs of Headley using webcams before allowing him to use the computers and his signatures were also taken, sources said, adding efforts were on to ascertain whether Headley had any contact in the Capital.

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