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India: Spider named in memory of hero cop killed in 26/11 Mumbai attack

Mumbai - Ombale had captured Kasab on November 27, 2008, overpowering him despite being blasted by 40 bullets from an AK-47.

A new species of jumping spider, discovered in Kalyan on the outskirts of Mumbai, has been named ‘Icius Tukarami,’ in memory of Tukaram Ombale, the policeman who was killed while trying to nab 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab.

Ombale had captured Kasab on November 27, 2008, overpowering him despite being blasted by 40 bullets from an AK-47. The police officer later succumbed to the wounds. He was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for his bravery and selflessness.

“I was not really thinking of how Ombale would have pounced on Kasab while naming the new spider species,” said Dhruv Prajapati, the Ahmedabad-based researcher. It was to keep his memories and fearlessness alive in public minds that he dedicated the new species in Ombale’s name, added Prajapati. The species can be identified by a pair of white longitudinal stripes on its body and the unique shape of tibial apophysis, he added.

Another spider species, ‘Phintella Cholkei,’ found in the Aarey Colony in Mumbai has been named after researcher and naturalist Kamlesh Cholke who passed away last year.

The two spider discoveries in Mumbai have been published in the Russian scientific journal Arthropoda Selecta. According to Prajapati, spiders are essential to ensure a healthy environment as they naturally curb insects and other pests.

"They are an integral component of the food web, control insect populations, and even minor environmental changes can either hit or wipe out their population,” Sanap told the media. “They must be conserved.”