Wednesday 8.30 pm, Anita Rajendra Udiyar, a resident of Macchimar Nagar in Colaba, south Mumbai, was sitting outside her dwelling when she noticed a dinghy pulling up on the seashore nearby.

A longtime resident of the fishermen's colony, Anita says she has seen some unusual sights in the area, thanks to frequent film shootings nearby. What caught her eye, this time, was that the six youth in the dinghy � whom she describes as being around 25-30 years of age, wearing jeans and t-shirt � left the dinghy behind and started walking away with heavy blue, plastic bags. She recalls them wearing hats, too, and doing a thumbs up on landing.

Curious, Anita says she asked them what they were up to and was told to mind her own business.

Soon after, she said the group split into two, four going in the direction of Taj Mahal hotel [Images] and two going towards Nariman House.

The penny dropped for her when later on in the night she heard about the terror strikes nearby.

Spotting a police patrol after that, she informed them of what she saw but so far, she says, the police have not bothered to question her

When this reporter visited the Cuffe Parade police station, where the dinghy is now kept, she found them quite casual about the whole thing. The duty officer said the dinghy was of the kind that belonged to big boats and is used for evacuation.

Image: Anita Rajendra Udiyar (second from left) outside her dwelling in Macchimar Nagar, Colaba, South Mumbai

Text and photograph: Vaihayasi Daniel