Almost a year after a team of officers from DB Marg police station shot dead 26/11 gunman Abu Ismail at Girgaum Chowpatty and captured Ajmal Kasab, they say the incidents of November 26 night still make them shiver.

Kasab and Ismail were on their way to Girgaum Chowpatty after killing ATS chief Hemant Karkare and other officers when the DB Marg police intercepted the vehicle the gunmen had hijacked near the beach, they said. Constable Tukaram Omble lost his life in the encounter when a burst from Kasab’s automatic weapon caught him, the officers recall.

“The memories will be with us forever. We never imagined in our wildest dreams that we would be involved in such live combat with armed and highly trained terrorists. Even today, when I think of that night, I shiver,” says Senior Police Inspector Nagappa Mali of DB Marg police station.

The incident has changed their lives. Mali says, “Every officer at this station has become more aware of the dangers around him and there is a sense of alertness.”

He adds, “My wife has also started worrying about me. After the incident, she makes it a point to call me if I get late.” Mali was the first officer to talk to Kasab after his capture.

“After the encounter, Kasab initially pretended to be dead. After bringing him to the hospital, we realised he was alive.”

According to Mali, Kasab was trained in evading interrogation too.

“Unlike other criminals, who often volunteer to give more information, Kasab gave point-to-point answers to our questions. At no stage did he say anything extra than what he had been asked. The most chilling part was his way of answering questions. He was calm and emotionless. At one point, Kasab displayed a tinge of regret and said he would have been better off dead like his colleague Ismail,” recalls Mali.

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