Former NIA officer who interrogated Headley welcomes Tahawwur Rana’s extradition

Loknath Behera, former senior officer of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and part of the team that interrogated David Coleman Headley -- the key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks -- on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the successful extradition of Tahawwur Rana from the United States.

Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian national and a close associate of Headley, was flown into Delhi from the US and is now in the custody of the NIA.

Speaking to the media, Behera said he was “happy” to hear of Rana’s arrival in India and emphasized that the development could potentially yield crucial new leads in the 26/11 investigation.

“This is a significant step. Now that Rana is in NIA custody, we might uncover more details about the terror plot -- possibly even names of other individuals involved,” said Behera.

A 1985-batch IPS officer from Odisha, Behera played a key role in India’s anti-terror investigations. He later served as Kerala’s longest-serving Director General of Police (DGP) before retiring in 2021. After retirement, he was appointed as the Managing Director of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd.

Recalling past intelligence inputs, Behera noted that Rana had previously visited Kochi, purportedly for recruitment-related activities. “He had stayed in Kochi. Perhaps his connections here will now be probed. It remains to be seen if he received any form of local support,” he added.

Rana faces multiple serious charges in India, including criminal conspiracy, waging war against the Government of India, murder, forgery, and violations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The NIA successfully secured his extradition on Thursday after years of sustained and concerted efforts to bring the key conspirator behind the 2008 mayhem to justice.

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.

The District Court for the Central District of California had ordered his extradition on May 16, 2023. Rana then filed multiple litigations in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, all of which were rejected.

With the active assistance of USDoJ, the US Sky Marshal, NIA worked closely with other Indian intelligence agencies, NSG through the entire extradition process, which also saw India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs coordinating with the other relevant authorities in the United States to take the matter to its successful conclusion.

Rana is accused of conspiring with David Coleman Headley, also known as 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.