It was just like any other night for the city police when 10 Pakistani youths sneaked in, launching the worst terror attack in the country that left more than 150 people dead while a terrorist - Ajmal Mohammad Amir Kasab - was caught alive in dramatic circumstances.
As the news of the attack spread, sending the cops into a tizzy and making the world sit up and watch a face of terror unseen so far, a group of policemen with World War-II era .303 rifles and AK 47 had set up barricades at Girgaum Chowpatty in South Mumbai.
A Skoda car racing down the street slowed down noticing the barricades, alerting the cops who had by now received information about terrorists having hijacked a police van.
The policemen signalled the car to stop, which it did 50 meters ahead of the barricades, but then it tried to take a U-turn hitting the divider on the right hand side of the road.
The policemen rushed towards the car as both the men sitting in the car, dressed like college-goers, raised their hands.
But, the driver, who was later identified as Abu Ismail, suddenly opened fire forcing the cops to retaliate. Ismail's partner Kasab, who had a bullet wound in his hand, opened the door of the car on the left side and pretended to fall down, as if he was dead.
As the policemen stopped firing, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Tukaram Omble walked towards Kasab to examine him when the terrorist sprang up brandishing his assault rifle, police had claimed.
Omble, without wasting a single second, lunged forward and grabbed Kasab's barrel. The only sound that reverberated in the air for the next few seconds was that of hot bullets from the AK 47 tearing into Omble's body.
Shocked by the sudden turn of events, other policemen beat him up with lathis and snatched his AK-47 rifle.
Passers-by, who had been witness to the dramatic sequence of events, too joined in the beating, raining punches and kicks on Kasab.
Realising the importance of catching a terrorist alive, senior cops stepped in to save Kasab from the angry crowd, police said.
Omble was immediately taken to a nearby hospital in a mobile police van, while Ismail and Kasab were also moved to another hospital in an ambulance.
While, Omble succumbed to his injuries, Kasab lived on to help unravel the terror plot and face a trial.
