Qasab was nabbed by officers of the D B Marg Police Station late on Wednesday night after they intercepted a Skoda car in which he was travelling with another attacker, identified as Abu Dera Ismael Khan (25), also from Pakistan's Punjab, and was gunned down in the encounter at Girgaum Chowpatty. Qasab was later handed over to the state Anti-Terrorism Squad.

The police also recovered two assault rifles, five magazines, two automatic pistols and a grenade from Qasam and Khan.

The Director General of Maharashtra Police, A N Roy, told The Indian Express that nine suspects were being interrogated. “All I can tell you at this stage is that nine suspects are with us and that some of them were picked up from around the operational areas. Once we finish questioning them, many facts will emerge. The whole story will shortly unfold,” he said.

Top police officers said that live telephone conversations of the militants on their mobile phones were being monitored at Nariman House as the operation was in progress. A terrorist was taped as shouting on Thursday, once the NSG had begun storming the building: “We have to kill one of the hostages to make a point.”

The other conversations were about changing positions and exit routes. The intercepted tapes, with conversations in what officials describe as “Hindi with a Punjabi accent” are now being transcribed and also handed over to intelligence agencies. While combing operations for vital clues is yet to begin in earnest, officials say that at least two GPS direction finders were picked up by members of the commando teams from the Taj Hotel and Nariman House.