Tahawwur Rana, extradited from US for his role in 26/11, reaches Delhi today

The Delhi Police Special Cell has been placed on alert and SWAT commandos have already been deployed at the airport.

A team of three senior officers of the NIA, along with three intelligence officials, reached the US Sunday to obtain custody of Rana, sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The source said the team obtained Rana’s custody and he would be reaching Delhi Thursday. It is likely that he will be placed under judicial custody in Tihar Jail.

“The Nayayik Abhiraksha Vahini, which ferries jail inmates from prison to courts, has been asked to send its personnel to the airport. Initially, it was told to send a team around 4 am, but that was later changed to 7 am,” the source said.

“A jail van along with pilot escorts, comprising police personnel, have been asked to reach the airport by 7 am. The South District police have made extra security deployment near the NIA headquarters in Pragati Vihar,” the source said.

Also Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to discuss the preparations.

A source said Director of Intelligence Bureau Tapan Deka, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and NIA Director Sadanand Date were also present at the meeting.

In the evening, Shah, speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, called the extradition of Rana a big success of the Modi government.

“Rana’s extradition is a big success of Prime Minister Modi’s diplomacy. The Modi government’s effort is to bring to justice those who attack India’s honour, land and people. He will be brought here to face trial and punishment. It is a big success of the Modi government,” he said.

Taking a swipe at the Congress without naming it, Shah said those who were at the helm at the time of the Mumbai terror attack in 2008 could not bring Rana to India to face trial.

Late at night, the MHA issued a gazette notification, appointing a Special Public Prosecutor for conducting trial for three years. “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 15 of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 (34 of 2008), read with sub-section (8) of section 18 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS), the Central Government hereby appoints Narender Mann, Advocate, as Special Public Prosecutor for conducting trial and other matters related to NIA case RC-04/2009/NIA/DLI on behalf of the NIA before the NIA Special Courts at Delhi and Appellate Courts, for a period of three years from the date of publication of this notification or till the completion of trial of the said case, whichever is earlier,” it stated.

Earlier this month, the US Supreme Court denied Rana’s application seeking a stay on his extradition to India.

The Indian team, sources said, left for the US after getting confirmation of a ‘surrender warrant’ — it’s a requirement for the surrender of a fugitive criminal to a foreign state.

According to sources, once Rana reaches Delhi, he is likely to be sent to judicial custody — he will be produced before a court via a video link.

“There is no formal communication to the Tihar Jail administration, but they have also started a security assessment of his cell; they are likely to lodge him in a high-security ward. His cell will have CCTV cameras with in-built bathroom facilities, and they will monitor his activities 24×7,” the sources said.

Rana, 64, who is of Pakistani origin, has been at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. He is an associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba scout David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attack.

With Alok Singh