Tahawwur Rana to land in Delhi shortly: Which jail will lodge the Mumbai attack accused?

Rana was arrested by the FBI in Chicago a year after the attacks in October 2009

Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana is scheduled to reach India on Thursday afternoon.

According to reports, he is being flown to India on a special flight accompanied by a special team of intelligence and investigative officials. Once he lands, Rana will be reportedly arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He is likely to be produced before Delhi’s Patiala House Court.

“Personnel from paramilitary forces and the Delhi Police have been deployed outside the court and a thorough physical frisking and checking of visitors is being carried out to avoid any untoward incident,” an officially told NDTV.

Rana will be reportedly brought from Palam Technical Airport to the NIA headquarters in a bulletproof vehicle.

Where will he be lodged?

Since the case will now be heard in Delhi, Rana will not be immediately sent to Mumbai. According to reports, Tihar Jail officials said all preparations have been made to lodge him in a high-security prison ward and they were waiting for court orders.

A report by Times of India stated that Rana's remand may be conducted in-camera, owing to security concerns.

“He has already been probed extensively and cracking him will not be an easy task. He would know where to mislead us and create smokescreens. This will be time-consuming,” a senior official told TOI.

If Rana is sent to Mumbai to face a trial, he is likely to be lodged in barrack number 12 in Arthur Road jail. Barrack number 12 is the same building where Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab was kept in a bomb-proof cell before his execution in November 2012.

“So far, no instructions have been issued. Once he is brought here, we will see where to keep him,” said jail official told TOI.

Barrack 12 is separate from the general barracks and not all its cells are occupied. During Kasab’s time, the building even had its own kitchen.

Who is Rana?

Rana (64) Rana, a Pakistani-Canadian businessman, served as a captain general duty practitioner in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, before immigrating to Canada with his wife, where they obtained citizenship in June 2001.

Rana moved to Chicago where he started several businesses, including an immigration agency, which was later revealed to be a cover for plotting terror activities.

His longstanding friendship with Headley, an American of Pakistani origin, later became a focal point in investigations related to the terror attack in Mumbai.

Rana was arrested by the FBI in Chicago a year after the attacks in October 2009 for arranging material support for terror attacks in Mumbai and Copenhagen.