How a single captured terrorist dismantled a plot to frame a religious conspiracy

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Rakesh Maria, a legendary Indian Police Service officer, led the investigation into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. By interrogating the only surviving terrorist, he uncovered a chilling plan to disguise the attackers as Hindu students, a revelation that ultimately prevented a major international narrative from taking hold.

Rakesh Maria, born in 1957, joined the Indian Police Service in 1981 and built a formidable reputation through decades of high-stakes investigations. His career was defined by his work on some of India's most significant security crises, including the 1993 Bombay serial blasts and the 2003 twin blasts at the Gateway of India and Zaveri Bazaar. In the latter case, his team successfully identified and arrested the perpetrators, leading to death sentences for three of the accused by 2009.

The 2008 Mumbai attacks, however, presented a unique challenge. As the officer responsible for the investigation, Maria interrogated Ajmal Kasab, the only one of the ten terrorists captured alive. In his 2020 memoir, Let Me Say It Now, Maria revealed that the attackers carried fake identity cards and wore red wrist threads, common symbols of Hindu identity. He argued that this was a deliberate attempt by Pakistani planners to frame the carnage as a domestic Hindu conspiracy. By securing Kasab alive, Maria ensured the truth was documented before the terrorist was executed in 2012.

Despite his successes, Maria's career was not without controversy. Following the 2008 attacks, he faced intense public scrutiny and allegations from Vinita Kamte, the widow of a slain officer, regarding his management of the police control room during the siege. Maria defended his actions before the official Pradhan Committee, maintaining that the criticism was based on selective quoting. Throughout his tenure, which ended with his retirement in 2017, he remained a polarizing but influential figure, even inspiring numerous fictional portrayals in Indian cinema and literature, such as the character Ajay Lal in Maximum City.

Beyond counter-terrorism, Maria also shaped police policy in Mumbai. In 2015, after a controversial raid on couples at Aksa Beach, he ordered officers to stop using public indecency laws to harass citizens. His career, spanning 36 years, remains a subject of intense interest, with a biopic currently in development to chronicle his operational highlights from 1985 to 2008.

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