New Delhi: A Special NIA court in Delhi Monday extended Pakistani-Canadian national Tahawwur Rana’s custody with the federal anti-terror agency by 12 more days to allow investigators to question him further on the deadly attack that left 166 people dead in 2008.
Special Judge Charan Jit Singh accepted Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan’s plea that the investigating agency needs more time to uncover Rana’s role in the Mumbai attack of 2008.
Dressed in a grey kurta, Rana’s face was covered with a black hood when brought to the highly-guarded Patiala House Court near India Gate in the afternoon.
A ring of heavily armed security personnel surrounded him as the 64-year-old terror accused treaded cautiously.
Rana’s 18-day remand ended Monday, and he was presented in court for an extension in his NIA custody.
During the court proceedings, the Special Judge court was informed by the NIA about the alleged evasive technique adopted by Rana during questioning.
The NIA also expressed its desire to take Rana to various other cities to reconstruct the chain of events during the accused’s India visits preceding the terror attack.
During the last hearing, the court had directed the NIA to conduct medical test of Rana every 24 hours and allow him to speak to his lawyers every second day.
During his 18-day remand, Rana was also questioned by Mumbai Police officers. During the interrogation, Rana claimed that he had “no connection whatsoever” with the planning or execution of the attack.
He also claimed that his childhood friend and co-accused, David Coleman Headley, was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning aspects.
Headley, who turned approver in the case, had earlier admitted to conducting recce missions across India, including in Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
During questioning, Rana said that apart from Mumbai and Delhi, he had also travelled to Kerala.
When asked about the purpose of his visit to Kerala, he claimed he had gone there to meet a known acquaintance and had provided the individual’s name and address to the agency.
Following this, sources said a team from the Mumbai Crime Branch may soon travel to Kerala to verify his claims and question the said person.
Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps, was extradited to India from the United States recently to face justice in the Mumbai attack case.
