The 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana on Thursday arrived in India following his extradition by the United States. On Thursday evening, Tahawwur Rana was produced before the Special NIA Court.
The 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana was brought to the National Investigation Agency headquarters late on Thursday after bring produced at the Delhi court. The NIA said that Rana will remain in the 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, in which a total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured.
The 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana on Thursday arrived in India following his extradition by the United States. On Thursday evening, Tahawwur Rana was produced before the Special NIA Court.
The anti-terror agency has presented compelling evidence, including emails sent by 26/11 Mumbai attacks accused Tahawwur Rana, to justify his police custody. The agency informed the court that custodial interrogation is crucial to uncovering a sinister plot. Investigators will also examine Rana’s role in orchestrating the deadly terror attacks.
In the meantime, it should be noted that Ashish Batra and Jaya Roy were two senior NIA officers who led the extradition process of Tahawwur Rana from the US. In this article, we will learn all about these two NIA officers.
Who is Ashish Batra?
Ashish Batra, a 1997-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Jharkhand cadre, is currently serving as the inspector general (IG) in NIA. He was deputed to the agency in 2019 for a five-year term, which was later extended by two years until September 15, 2024.
Before he joined the NIA, Ashish Batra was the IG of Jharkhand Jaguar, an anti-insurgency unit, from January 20, 2018. Apart from this, Batra has also served as the spokesperson for the Jharkhand Police and held additional responsibilities as IG Abhiyan, that conducts operations in Naxal areas of Jharkhand related to law and order.
Who is Jaya Roy?
A 2011-batch IPS officer from the Jharkhand cadre, Jaya Roy currently serves as deputy inspector general in the NIA. Jaya was deputed to the NIA in 2019 as superintendent of police for a four-year term, which was later extended. Jaya is known for leading the team that cracked down on cybercriminals in Jamtara.
NIA successfully secures extradition of Rana
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Thursday that it has successfully secured the extradition of Rana, the mastermind of the deadly 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice.
According to the NIA, Rana was being held in judicial custody in the US pursuant to proceedings initiated under the India-US Extradition Treaty for his extradition. The extradition finally came through after Rana exhausted all legal avenues to stay the move.
“Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley @ Daood Gilani, and operatives of designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI) along with other Pakistan-based co-conspirators, to carry out the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008. A total of 166 persons were killed and over 238 injured in the deadly attacks. Both LeT and HUJI have been declared as terrorist organisations by the Government of India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967,” the NIA said.
