26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana being brought to India from US in special plane: Report

Rana was born in Chichawatni, which lies in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, in 1961.

A multi-agency team from India travelled to the United States to bring 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to the country, according to a report by News18.

The US Supreme Court has recently denied Rana's last application seeking a stay on his extradition to India. The team is completing the paperwork and fulfilling the formalities and legalities with the US authorities.

“There is a very high possibility that Rana could be extradited to India shortly,” sources told CNN-News18.

High-security cells in Delhi’s Tihar and Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison have been asked to be prepared for a high-risk detainee, officials told News18.

A report by NDTV stated that  Rana s being brought to India in a special plane.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently obtained court orders seeking the transfer of the case from Mumbai to Delhi. NIA could seek the custodial interrogation of Rana once he lands in India and is produced in court.

The US Supreme Court had denied a similar request in March. Rana had earlier told the US court that he was suffering from an abdominal aortic aneurysm at immediate risk of rupture, Parkinson's disease with cognitive decline, and a mass suggestive of bladder cancer. According to Rana he would not survive long enough to be tried in India.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US in February this year, President Donald Trump announced Rana’s extradition to India, describing him as “one of the plotters and one of the very evil people of the world”.

“Tahawwur Rana will be going back to India, where he will face justice,” Trump said at the press conference.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement in the Parliament during the Budget Session on April 4 and said that India and the US have been engaged in the case and are working closely for Rana’s swift extradition.

“During the visit of the Prime Minister to Washington DC on 13 February 2025, the U.S. Administration conveyed that it had approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana to India. Rana’s application for a stay on this decision is before the US Supreme Court, which is expected to pronounce on it soon. Both India and the U.S. remain engaged in the case and are working closely to complete the necessary formalities to allow for the swift extradition of Tahawwur Rana to India,” the government had said in the Parliament.

Rana was born in Chichawatni, which lies in the Punjab Province of Pakistan, in 1961. A physician by profession, Rana served as a Captain, General Duty practitioner in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps. Rana and his wife, who is also a physician, immigrated to Canada in 1997, and obtained Canadian citizenship in June 2001. According to PTI, he lived primarily in Chicago and owns several businesses there, including an immigration service agency, First World Immigration Services, with offices in Chicago, New York and Toronto.

Rana is wanted in India for his alleged role in facilitating the Mumbai attacks that killed over 174 people. His extradition has been a long-pending demand from India.