Kasab could be 22 years: Forensic expert

A forensic expert told a special court that the age of Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, the only surviving terrorist of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, could be 22 as his chest X-ray indicates developed growth.

The expert, Dr Sudhir Nanandkar, told the court that Kasab's chest X-ray shows a complete fusion of the clavicle (collar bone), indicating that he could be 22 years old.

Nanandkar, a witness in the sensational case who conducted the Ossification (bone) test on Kasab, said in medical jurisprudence the examination of clavicle fusion helped independently to determine the age of a person.

The court was examining Dr Nanandkar and two others as witness to determine the age of Kasab, which the accused claimed before the court was just 17.

On a plea from the prosecution, the judge M L Tahalyani had ordered an inquiry to determine whether the accused was a juvenile or not.

The testimony of the witness that Kasab's age was 22 supports the prosecution's case that he was not a juvenile. Two other witnesses --a doctor and the jail superintendent --deposed yesterday saying Kasab had told them he was 21.

During cross-examination by defense lawyer Abbas Kazmi, the witness said that while taking X-ray of Kasab in jail on April 27, there was malfunctioning of machine after the completion of the process. He also said that Kasab's signature was not obtained on the X-ray plates.