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Vilas Warack, a gym instructor who met terror suspect David Coleman Headley along with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's son Rahul, was on Monday questioned by the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the Lashkar-e-Tayiba's plot to carry out major strikes in India.
The agency recorded the statement of Warack on how he knew Headley, who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States in October for planning attacks on the National Defence College in Delhi, Doon school in Dehradun and Woodstock school in Mussoorie, at the behest of the LeT, official sources said today.
Warack, who worked as an instructor at Moksha Gym in south Mumbai, which was frequented by Headley, was asked about the locations the American visited and names of persons whom he met there.
The sources said that Warack was a little nervous but responded to the questions. The agency had registered a case against Headley for allegedly plotting terror attacks in India, as the government said it had enough evidence to show he had links with the Pakistan-based LeT.
Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a US-based Pakistan-born Canadian national, were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and for conspiring to wage a war against the country. Warack met Headley at the high-profile gym where he was working as an instructor. Warack has admitted to having introduced Headley to Rahul Bhatt.
Warack claims that his sincerity cost him the job as he had voluntarily gone to Joint Commissioner Rakesh Maria and narrated everything he knew about Headley. The gym owner denied that Warack has been sacked and said he can resume his duties.
Warack said that he had met Headley at the Gym and the US national asked him to be his fitness trainer and got friendly in the process. Later, when he introduced Headley to Rahul, all three became friends and attended a number of high-profile parties in tinsel town.
The gym instructor said that when he came to know about Headley's terror links on television, he immediately approached the police and gave details of his relations with the terror suspect. During his frequent trips to India, Headley had visited Kochi and Pune besides four other cities, including Delhi.