As per reports, the NIA is planning to confront 26/11 terror attacks mastermind Tahawwur Rana with one key witness – the man who helped Rana’s co-conspirator David Coleman Headley when he visited Mumbai in 2006.
A mystery witness could be NIA’s key to break the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks case against Tahawwur Rana — a man accused of helping Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives plan and prepare for the carnage that left 166 people dead. As per a report, officials say that the “protected witness” was in direct touch with Rana and assisted his co-conspirator David Coleman Headley during a key visit to Mumbai in 2006.
“This protected witness was very close to Rana and could be confronted with him soon,” said officials aware of the developments, as per an HT report.
According to details of the investigation, the man had received Headley upon his arrival in India that year and helped set up his accommodations and logistics. “During this visit, Headley was received by an individual close to Rana, who is a protected witness now. This person received a call from Rana after which this person arranged accommodations and other logistics for Headley,” an official said, requesting anonymity.
The witness’s identity has been withheld even in court proceedings due to fears of retribution from Pakistan-based elements, including the LeT and state actors suspected of backing the attack.
NIA officials believe this mystery man could be a vital link to establishing Rana’s knowledge of — and role in — Headley’s movements and meetings during his reconnaissance trips to India from 2006 to 2009. “Rana might soon be confronted with the witness about his connections in India and places Headley visited and people he met during his multiple trips to India between 2006 and 2009, as well as about any other suspects who may have traveled to India during that time,” the HT report said quoting a second officer.
Rana-Headley Call Recordings Under NIA Lens
The NIA is also relying on recordings of calls between Rana and Headley captured by the FBI in 2009. In addition to confronting Rana with the protected witness, investigators plan to question several individuals associated with his Immigration Law Centre office in Mumbai.
Rana, extradited from the US after a years-long legal battle, arrived in India aboard a special Gulfstream G550 aircraft. After his arrival in Delhi, he was remanded to 18 days in NIA custody by a special court. Officers from the NIA and other agencies began questioning him soon after the court order.
