What Tahawwur Rana Asked for First in Jail Will Surprise You
Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is currently in National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody after being extradited from the United States. According to jail officials, the Pakistani-origin Canadian national has requested a copy of the Quran, which was provided, and is seen offering Namaz five times a day in his cell.
New Delhi: Tahawwur Hussain Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is currently in National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody after being extradited from the United States. According to jail officials, the Pakistani-origin Canadian national has requested a copy of the Quran, which was provided, and is seen offering Namaz five times a day in his cell.
Officials stated that Rana, 64, has not made any other specific demands and is under strict surveillance to prevent any self-harm attempts.
Table of Contents
NIA Intensifies Probe into 2008 Mumbai Attacks Conspiracy
Rana was brought to the NIA headquarters in Delhi on Friday morning after a Delhi court granted the agency 18-day custody. The NIA is probing his role in the larger terror conspiracy behind the 26/11 attacks, which claimed 166 lives and injured over 238.
Also Read: Dust Storms & Rain Cool Delhi: IMD Forecasts Pleasant Weather on Sunday
He is being questioned based on several leads, including phone records and his connections with David Coleman Headley (also known as Daood Gilani), the US-based co-conspirator currently serving a prison sentence in the U.S.
Key Investigations Include Dubai Contact and ISI Links
Sources revealed that the NIA will grill Rana about an alleged key contact in Dubai believed to have knowledge about the attack plans. Investigators are also probing his suspected ties with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—the organization responsible for orchestrating the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
Rana’s previous travel history in northern and southern India before the attacks is also under scrutiny to trace any movements that could have contributed to the planning of the carnage.
Rana to Undergo Medical Check-Ups and Lawyer Meetings
Following his formal arrest at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) upon extradition, Rana was presented before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House. The court instructed the NIA to conduct a medical examination every 24 hours and permit Rana to meet his legal counsel every alternate day.
The NIA suspects that Rana may have played a role in planning multiple terror plots targeting Indian cities, similar to the Mumbai attacks.
Charges and Background in the 26/11 Case
Rana faces charges of criminal conspiracy, murder, waging war against India, and forgery. The NIA had registered a case in 2009, following which its investigation revealed the involvement of senior members from Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HuJI), another Pakistan-based terror outfit.
The agency is hopeful that Rana’s interrogation will help unravel the full extent of the conspiracy, including foreign support networks and sleeper cells active in India at the time of the attacks.
