Where is Bashir Shaikh? Tracking Tahawwur Rana's key ally in Mumbai

File photo of Tahawwur Rana

When David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American, first landed in Mumbai on September 14, 2006, a man received him at the airport. He arranged a cab for Headley and took him to his rented apartment near the CSMT railway station. Headley's Mumbai mission, assigned by Lashkar-e-Taiba, was to scout targets for a terrorist attack. Within one or two days, Headley settled into Hotel Outram, located just a few meters from the station. Ten years later, in February 2016, Headley revealed in a video confession before a Mumbai court that the man who helped him navigate the city was Tahawwur Rana's contact in Mumbai.

On February 12, 2016, while testifying as an approver before a special court in Mumbai, Headley stated that Rana had connected him to a man named Bashir Shaikh in Mumbai. Rana told Headley that Bashir would assist him during his stay. Headley met Bashir every time he visited Mumbai, both before and after the 26/11 attacks. He returned to India in 2009 to scout locations for subsequent attacks in Delhi and Pune. Before testifying in Mumbai, Headley had also mentioned Bashir’s role to FBI interrogators.

Little is known about Bashir Shaikh. Neither the Mumbai Police nor the NIA has arrested him. Some officers involved in the 26/11 probe, speaking anonymously, say Bashir was a resident of Jogeshwari, a Mumbai suburb. He owned a dairy in Jogeshwari and met Tahawwur Rana during a visit to the United States. Since Rana ran an emigration consulting company called First World Immigration and Bashir wanted to emigrate to Canada, he approached Rana for assistance. Rana asked Bashir to help his friend Headley in Mumbai. It remains unclear whether Bashir was aware of Rana and Headley’s sinister plans.

The whereabouts of Bashir Shaikh are unknown. It is uncertain whether he still resides in Mumbai or succeeded in migrating to Canada. Bashir appears to be a crucial link between Headley and Rana, and his testimony could strengthen the case against Rana. So far, the charges against Rana rely on Headley’s testimony and their electronic communications. Rana is the first foreign conspirator arrested by an Indian investigation agency and is undergoing judicial proceedings. Another accused, Zabiuddin Ansari, also known as Abu Jundal, a Maharashtrian, was arrested and is incarcerated in a Mumbai prison. The Bombay High Court has suspended his trial due to technical aspects of the legal process.

Apart from Bashir, Headley also befriended a Parsi woman who ran a bakery in Colaba. In Mumbai, he became acquainted with Rahul Bhatt, son of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and a gym trainer named Vilas Warak. The Mumbai Police interrogated these individuals to gather information on Headley’s movements in the city.