Tahawwur Rana in NIA custody for 18 days; Email trails, travel logs reveal key role in 26/11 plot
New Delhi (PTI): Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, will be questioned in detail by the National Investigation Agency to unravel the conspiracy behind the deadly 26/11 terror strike and his role as a planner of the attacks after a court here granted the agency his 18-day custody on early Friday.
The anti-terror agency had produced Rana before the NIA Special Court at Patiala House after formally placing him under arrest on his arrival here on Thursday evening, following his extradition from the US.
Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) judge Chander Jit Singh sent Rana to 18-day custody while the NIA sought 20-day custody.
Rana was brought to the Patiala House Court in a cavalcade, including a jail van, an armoured SWAT vehicle and an ambulance, late Thursday night.
Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and Special Public Prosecutor Narender Mann represented the NIA.
Before the proceedings, the judge asked Rana if he had a lawyer.
After Rana said he did not have a lawyer, the judge informed him that a counsel was being provided to him from the Delhi Legal Services Authority. After that, advocate Piyush Sachdeva was appointed to represent him.
The 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, a close associate of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks main conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen, was brought to India after the US Supreme Court on April 4 dismissed his review plea against his extradition.
The agency told the court that Rana's interrogation was necessary to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the 2008 attacks. It also told the court that it had to look into his role as a planner of the attacks.
Before Rana was brought to the Patiala House Court, Delhi Police removed mediapersons and members of the public from the complex, citing security concerns.
Police authorities said, "No one would be permitted inside".
After the court order, Rana was transported to the NIA headquarters in a heavily-secured motorcade comprising Delhi Police's Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) and other security personnel.
Rana will be kept in a highly secured cell inside the anti-terror agency's head office at CGO complex here, officials said.
"Rana will remain in NIA custody for 18 days, during which time the agency will question him in detail in order to unravel the complete conspiracy behind the deadly 2008 attacks, in which a total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured," a statement issued by the probe agency said soon after the court's order.
The NIA said that as part of the criminal conspiracy, accused no. 1, Headley, had discussed the entire operation with Rana before his visit to India.
Anticipating potential challenges, Headley sent an email to Rana detailing his belongings and assets, the NIA told the court, adding that Headley also informed Rana about the involvement of Pakistani nationals Ilyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman, who are also accused in the case, in the plot.
The NIA had secured Rana's extradition from the US following years of sustained efforts, and after the terror mastermind's last-ditch efforts to get a stay on his extradition from the US failed.
The extradition finally came through after Rana's various litigations and appeals, including an emergency application before the US Supreme Court, were rejected.
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Rahul Gandhi urges PM Modi to convene special Parliament session on Operation Sindoor, ceasefire
New Delhi: Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the immediate convening of a special session of Parliament to discuss the recent Pahalgam terror attack, Operation Sindoor, and the ceasefire announced between India and Pakistan.
In his letter dated Sunday, Rahul Gandhi reiterated the “unanimous request of the Opposition” to hold the session in light of escalating tensions and the need for national consensus. He emphasized the importance of Parliament deliberating on these critical issues, calling it “crucial for the people and their representatives to discuss.”
“This will also be an opportunity to demonstrate our collective resolve to meet the challenges ahead,” Gandhi wrote, referring to the recent ceasefire agreement and the military developments preceding it.
Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, also echoed the demand in a separate letter. He referenced an earlier appeal dated April 28, 2025, which sought a joint session in response to the Pahalgam terror incident. Kharge said the recent ceasefire, initially announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and subsequent developments made the session even more urgent.
The India-Pakistan ceasefire agreement came after three days of intense military confrontation, during which Operation Sindoor was carried out by Indian forces on May 7. The operation targeted nine terror infrastructure sites across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 civilians.
Despite the ceasefire announcement, Pakistani drones reportedly violated the truce within hours, entering Indian airspace over Jammu, Srinagar, Punjab, and Rajasthan, prompting further defense action.
