Following 'Dubai' lead, NIA may collect Tahawwur Rana’s voice sample in 26/11 case: Report

Tahawwur Rana has been successfully extradited to India.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has extradited Pakistani-Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who is in their custody. The agency may collect a voice sample from Rana to corroborate call records related to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, reported NDTV.

By matching Rana's voice sample with call records, investigators aim to determine whether he was giving instructions over the phone during the November 2008 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 166 people in Mumbai.

To obtain the voice sample, the NIA will need Rana's consent. If he refuses, the agency can seek permission from a court to compel him to provide it. Should he decline, this refusal will be mentioned in the chargesheet, which could negatively impact him during the trial, stated the report.

Once permission is granted, experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory will come to the NIA headquarters to collect the samples in a soundproof room.

Since his extradition from the U.S. on Thursday, Rana has been detained and interrogated at the secure NIA headquarters within the CGO Complex. During the questioning, the NIA is focused on uncovering details about a man Rana met in Dubai before the Mumbai attacks, as well as the lack of renewal for an office lease in Mumbai registered under his immigration agency.

This office was reportedly used as a cover by David Headley, the mastermind behind the 26/11 attacks, to conduct reconnaissance of potential targets, including key hotels and public sites in the city.

The 18-day interrogation is also expected to shed light on the possible involvement of Pakistani nationals Ilyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman in the attacks. Additionally, Rana may be questioned about the roles of key plotters Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Sajid Majeed Mir.

Rana has shared details about his background in Pakistan, including information about his family, education, immigration to Canada with his wife, and the opening of an immigration and travel agency in Chicago.

According to NIA sources, as cited in the NDTV report, Rana was largely uncooperative on the first day of interrogation, providing limited information. Although he claims to struggle with recalling the sequence of events, he has confirmed that he was present in Mumbai at least one week before the attacks.

David Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, was questioned by an NIA team in the US in 2010 and was later convicted for his role in the attacks.