0A day after 26/11 attacks conspirator Tawahhur Hussain Rana was extradited to India from the United States, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday that the Mumbai police and his government would provide full cooperation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in matters relating to Rana’s prosecution in the case.
Talking to media persons here, Fadnavis said: “The NIA is leading the investigations…whatever NIA needs would be provided by the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police. The Mumbai police will extend all cooperation to the NIA, and if we need any update on the probe, we will seek it from NIA”.
Queried if the NIA will bring Rana to Mumbai, the chief minister said that the Central investigation agency would take a call in the matter.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of the Mumbai citizens for bringing Rana to India to face prosecution in the 26/11 attacks case, Fadnavis said: “The accused has been successfully brought to India and he would have to undergo prosecution. (The lone arrested fidayeen) Mohammed Ajmal Kasab was hanged to death, it is now the turn of the conspirator Rana to face justice”.
In the normal course, Rana will have to be prosecuted before a Mumbai court where the lone arrested Pakistani terrorist in the 26/11 attacks Mohammed Ajmal Kasab faced trial. Rana will in all likelihood be brought to Mumbai for prosecution before a special court.
Ajmal Kasab was among the ten Pakistani terrorists who had carried out brazen November 26-29, 2008 attacks on Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed and 300 others injured.
While nine of the ten terrorists were killed by the security forces during the attack, the remaining one- Mohammed Ajmal Kasab - was caught alive by the police at Girgaum Chowpatty in south Mumbai on the intervening night of November 26-27, 2008.
After his conviction in the case, Kasab was hanged to death in the 26/11 attacks case in Pune’s Yerwada central prison on November 21, 2012.
Rana is one of the two masterminds who are yet to be brought to justice, while the other is Sayed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an Indian operative who worked for the Lashkar terror group. He was arrested in 2012 after being identified by Kasab and is currently behind the bars in Mumbai.
Rana is a close aide of the Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, who was also wanted by India for the 26/11 hit, carried out by 10 heavily armed Pakistan terrorists.
In an amended criminal complaint in the Illinois court against Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana, on October 21, 2009, the FBI had given details about the reconnaissance done by Headley in India and his links with Rahul Bhatt, whom he (Headley) had befriended during his trips to India. Bhatt and his fitness instructor friend Vilas Pandurang Varak had subsequently confirmed having met Headley during his visits to India.
It may be recalled that on September 26, 2023, the Mumbai crime branch sleuths had filed a 405-page supplementary charge-sheet against Canadian businessman of Pakistani origin Dr. Tahawwur Hussain Rana based on fresh evidence against him. Among other things, the supplementary charge-sheet had alleged that Rana had stayed in India for 11 days - from November 11, 2008 to November 22, 2008. Of these days, he spent two days in Mumbai, where he stayed at Hotel Renaissance at Powai.
In its charge-sheet submitted before the trial court, the crime branch police had added Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) section 39A (offence relating to support given to a terrorist organisation) against Rana in the case.