Tahawwur Rana Under Suicide Watch in High-Security NIA Custody

New Delhi: Tahawwur Rana, a key co-conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, is currently under strict suicide watch at the National Investigation Agency (NIA) headquarters in New Delhi after being extradited from the United States. He is being held in a fortified 14×14-foot ground-floor cell under round-the-clock human and CCTV surveillance, officials told The Times of India.

Sources confirmed that Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian national and a close associate of 26/11 plotter David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, has been placed in an isolated cell with multiple layers of digital security. Only a dozen designated NIA personnel have clearance to access his area, and his basic needs – food, water, and medical support – are being handled within the secured perimeter. Rana is allowed to use only a soft-tip pen and can meet his lawyer exclusively under NIA supervision.

The NIA headquarters itself has been converted into a fortress since Rana’s arrival, with heavy deployment of Delhi Police and paramilitary forces. Entry is permitted strictly through high-level clearance.

Rana’s extradition comes years after the US approved his transfer following a prolonged legal battle. His arrival in India is being viewed as a diplomatic and investigative milestone, especially after former US President Donald Trump’s assurance on the matter during a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Judge Chander Jit Singh of the special NIA court granted the agency 18 days’ custody to interrogate Rana. The NIA told the court it needs to confront him with extensive evidence and expects his statement to lead to critical breakthroughs in the case, including his connections with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI), and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

Investigators believe Rana, who allegedly helped Headley set up a cover through his immigration services firm, was instrumental in facilitating reconnaissance for the 26/11 attacks, which left 166 people dead and hundreds injured.

The agency may take Rana to key locations to reconstruct events from 2008 and identify missing links in the terror network. According to officials, Rana had traveled extensively in India, visiting Hapur, Agra, Delhi, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai with his wife Samraz Rana Akhtar just days before the attacks began on November 26, 2008.

The interrogation will focus on uncovering the deeper conspiracy behind the three-day siege on Mumbai and establishing possible support links within India and abroad. Rana’s case is expected to offer fresh leads on Pakistan’s involvement and the role of terror outfits operating across borders.