Tahawwur Rana in NIA Custody: Special Team Gears Up for High-Stakes Interrogation

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, was extradited from the US to India late Friday evening. Rana, who arrived at Delhi's Palam Airport on a US special aircraft Gulfstream G550, was produced in a special court under tight security of NIA and NSG, where he was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 18-day remand.

The NIA had sought 20 days remand from the court, but the court granted 18 days. Rana was kept in a special cell set up at the NIA headquarters late at night. On Saturday, a team of senior NIA officials will interrogate him, in which special attention will be paid to the aspects related to the conspiracy of the Mumbai attack.

The NIA said in an official statement, "The extradition of Tahawwur Rana, the prime accused in the 26/11 attack, has been successfully completed. This achievement has been achieved after years of well-planned and concerted efforts." The extradition process of Rana, who was in judicial custody in the US for a long time, was completed under the extradition treaty between India and the US. He was brought to Delhi from Los Angeles in a special plane under the supervision of NSG and NIA teams.

After reaching Palam Airport, Rana was formally arrested and his medical examination was done. After this, he was produced in Patiala House Court. Senior advocate Dayan Krishnan and special public prosecutor Narendra Mann argued on behalf of the government, while advocate Piyush Sachdeva of Delhi Legal Services Authority appeared on behalf of the accused. After this high-profile extradition and interrogation, it is expected that many important revelations related to the conspiracy of 26/11 attack and its network can be made.