New Delhi, Apr 11 (KNO): The NIA special court at Patiala House here sent Mumbai attacks mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana to 18-day NIA custody on Friday.
According to the details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the court also directed the NIA to conduct a medical examination of Rana every 24 hours, and allow him to meet his lawyer every alternate day.
Pertinently, the National Investigation Agency “successfully secured the extradition” of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, from the United States and brought him to the national capital on Thursday.
Rana was arrested formally immediately after his arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, following his successful extradition from the United States.
The NIA on Friday began Rana’s questioning to unravel the larger conspiracy behind the deadly terror strikes of 2008 in which 166 persons were killed and over 238 sustained injuries.
Rana was brought to the NIA headquarters early this morning and is being kept in a highly-secured cell, inside the anti-terror agency’s head office at CGO complex here, being guarded by security personnel round the clock.
The investigation is being led by NIA’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Jaya Roy, who is also the Chief Investigating Officer.
The interrogation, sources said, is focused on getting more details on his possible connection with Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which had orchestrated the attacks.
The 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman — a close associate of key Mumbai terror attacks conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani (a US citizen) — would also be questioned on his suspected links with the officials of Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and his exact role behind the attack, the sources said.
Notably, Rana’s custodial interrogation, as per KNO, comes at a time when senior Maharashtra-cadre Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Sadanand Vasant Date is at the helm of the NIA. Date, who was then posted as an Additional Commissioner of Police in Mumbai when 10 terrorists struck the country’s financial capital, had received serious injuries in the terror attack.
Rana is charged with numerous offenses, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery in the country.
It may be recalled soon after taking over as the President of United States for second time, Donald Trump in February this year had confirmed 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India and said that he was pleased to announce that Rana is “going back to India to face justice.
During the joint press meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after their bilateral meeting, Trump had said. "I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters (Tahawwur Rana) and one of the very evil people of the world, having to do with the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to face justice in India."
"He is going back to India to face justice," he had said—(KNO)