Kasab to be kept in Arthur Road prison

MUMBAI - Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, now waiting for the gallows, will continue to be lodged at the high security Arthur Road Central Jail in south Mumbai, officials said Friday.

Kasab, who was awarded the death penalty for his role in the 26/11 terror attack, will continue to remain in this jail and the state government has no plans to shift him anywhere else, Minister of State for Home Ramesh Bagwe told reporters.

A high-level meeting of the police, home department and jail officials besides security experts was held at the jail Friday morning after which it was decided that Kasab would not be sent to jail in Pune or Nagpur.

After his arrest, Kasab was in the custody of the crime branch and when he was remanded to judicial custody, he was shifted to Arthur Road jail, which is a prison for undertrials.

Given the threat perceptions and the significance of the case, the government later, at a cost of Rs.5.2 crore, fortified the prison to make it bomb proof.

In view of security considerations, the government even constructed an air-conditioned special courtroom within the jail itself where Kasab’s trial was held.

Kasab was also lodged in an oval cell in the same jail premises under a multi-level security ring till the trial finally ended Thursday.

However, the officials said that the final decision to shift Kasab from Mumbai is likely to be taken only after the Bombay High Court confirms the death penalty.