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Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is now in India’s custody after being extradited from the United States. The 64-year-old Pakistani-Canadian is being held in a high-security facility at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in Delhi, where he is currently on suicide watch.
Rana was brought to India on Thursday evening and immediately placed under tight security inside the NIA’s complex on Lodhi Road. On Friday, a special court granted the NIA 18 days of custody for his interrogation, during which the agency will probe his links to the ISI, his ties with David Coleman Headley, and other aspects of the broader 26/11 conspiracy.
14×14 cell, 24/7 surveillance, soft-tip pen only
Rana is being held in a 14-by-14-foot cell located on the ground floor of the NIA headquarters. According to officials, he is under continuous human and CCTV surveillance to prevent any attempt at self-harm. The security is so strict that he has been allowed only a soft-tip pen for writing, in order to avoid any risk of injury.
“Rana has been kept in a 14×14 cell on the ground floor. He will be allowed only a soft-tip pen to write so that he can’t harm himself,” a source said.
The NIA complex has been sealed with multi-layered security ever since his arrival. Officials say every move is being carefully monitored.
NIA begins grilling to uncover larger terror network
The NIA has started questioning Rana to understand the deeper terror plot behind the 2008 attacks. Investigators are focusing on his suspected role in establishing or supporting sleeper cells across India, particularly in coordination with David Headley — also known as Daood Gilani.
Sources say Headley is believed to have helped set up sleeper cells in places like Pushkar, Goa, Delhi, and other regions, with possible support from Rana. The NIA’s questioning is expected to explore these links in detail over the next two weeks.
Political sparring begins: Congress says UPA deserves the credit
The extradition of Rana, which marks a major diplomatic and legal milestone for India, has sparked a political back-and-forth between the Modi government and the Congress party.
On the same day that Rana landed in India, Congress leader P. Chidambaram issued a statement saying that the extradition was not initiated by the current government but was the result of diplomatic groundwork laid during the UPA administration.
“While the Modi government is rushing to take credit for this development, the truth is far from their spin,” Chidambaram said. “This extradition is not the result of any grandstanding; it is a testament to what the Indian state can achieve when diplomacy, law enforcement, and international cooperation are pursued sincerely and without any kind of chest-thumping.”
He added, “It is the culmination of a decade-and-a-half of painstaking diplomatic, legal and intelligence efforts initiated by UPA govt in close coordination with the US.”
Extradition efforts began in 2009 under UPA
Chidambaram outlined a detailed timeline to back his statement. He said the groundwork began in November 2009, when the NIA registered a case in Delhi against Headley, Rana, and others involved in the 26/11 attacks.
“Canada’s foreign minister confirmed collaboration with Indian agencies, thanks to UPA’s effective foreign policy,” Chidambaram noted.
In 2012, then External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai raised the issue of extraditing Headley and Rana during talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Under Secretary Wendy Sherman. Chidambaram called this effort a “textbook example” of how to handle international justice through quiet, strategic diplomacy.
“UPA’s institutional efforts kept case alive after 2014”
Even after the BJP-led government took office in 2014, Chidambaram claimed it was the institutional momentum created by the UPA that kept the case moving.
He also mentioned that in February 2025, during a public meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former U.S. President Donald Trump tried to present the extradition as a new achievement. However, Chidambaram said, “It was essentially the result of years of UPA-era groundwork.”
