Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the conspirator of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks extradited from the US, placed three demands before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his 18-day custody.
According to a Hindustan Times (HT) report, Rana, the “religious man”, had asked for Quran among other things.
An official told HT that the 64-year-old Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin was provided with a copy of the Quran, as requested. The officer said, “He is seen offering Namaz five times in his cell,” describing Rana as a “religious man.”
Besides the Quran, the official said Rana asked for a pen and paper.
The official emphasised that Tahawwur Rana is being treated “as any other arrested person with no special treatment” and said all three of his requests were being fulfilled.
However, he continues to remain under close observation to ensure he doesn’t use the pen to harm himself. “Beyond that, he has not made any other demands,” the officer said.
He is kept in a highly-secured cell, inside the anti-terror agency’s head office at CGO complex in Delhi, being guarded by security personnel round the clock, news agency PTI reported.
As per court directives, Rana is allowed to meet a lawyer provided by the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) every alternate day. He also undergoes a medical examination every 24 hours.
“All procedures are being followed, like for other arrested individuals,” another officer told HT.
Rana was brought to the NIA headquarters early Friday morning after a Delhi court granted the probe agency 18-day custody following his extradition from the US.
Tahawwur Rana has been charged with numerous offenses, including conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery in the country.
What is the NIA probing through Tahawwur Rana’s grilling?
A team of NIA officials is probing Rana to ascertain his exact role behind the attacks that killed 166 persons and left over 238 injured nearly 16 years ago, PTI said citing sources.
Rana is said to be grilled on the basis of various leads gathered by the probe agency during the course of its investigation including a large number of phone calls between him and his co-conspirator David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen currently in prisons in that country.
He would also be quizzed about individuals he met, especially an alleged key contact in Dubai who is said to be aware about the plans on carrying out Mumbai terror strikes, the sources told PTI.
Rana would also be questioned on his suspected links with the officials of Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and his association with terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), which had orchestrated the attacks.
The investigators also hope to find some important leads on his travels in parts of northern and southern India, days before the carnage in the country’s financial capital on 26 November 2008.
Soon after the court’s verdict on Friday, the probe agency 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.”
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