Will terrorist Tahawwur Rana be lodged in the same jail as gangster Chhota Rajan?

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is bringing 26/11 accused Tahawwur Hussain Rana from the United States to India on Thursday to prosecute him for 2008 Mumbai terror attacks killing 166 people.

Rana is expected to land in Delhi in the afternoon. His trial comes under the jurisdiction of Delhi’s Patiala House Court. It is not, however, clear yet whether Rana would be taken immediately to the court or presented before the court through video link or taken to the Special NIA Judge’s residence to seek custody.

Reports, however, suggest that Rana could be incarcerated in Tihar Jail’s high-security facility. His extradition from the US to India has sparked significant interest in whether he will be housed in the same jail as notorious gangster Chhota Rajan.

Media reports quoting preliminary assessments by Delhi prisons authorities, Rana is likely to be housed in Jail Number 2 of Tihar Jail, the same facility where Rajan is currently lodged. This decision stems from Jail Number 2’s unique three-tiered security apparatus — comprising Jail Security Guards, Central Reserve Police (CRP), and Tamil Nadu Police Force (TNPF) personnel — which is deemed necessary for managing high-risk individuals.

A recent security audit of the Jail Number 2 also indicates that Rana could be Rajan’s neighbour as prison inmates. However, this jail follows strict protocols and is likely to isolate Rana from inmates with conflicting ideologies, regional affiliations, or potential collaborative threats.

Rana to arrive today

Tahawwur Hussain Rana, one of India’s most wanted men for his alleged role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

According to India Today, a special flight carrying the 64-year-old left the US on Wednesday evening. A joint team from the NIA and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) is escorting him back.

He is expected to land in Delhi on Thursday afternoon, where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will take him into custody.

Rana faces charges of criminal conspiracy, waging war against India, murder, forgery, and violations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin

Tahawwur Rana, a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, was based in Chicago and is accused of being involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people.

David Coleman Headley, the main accused in the case, had revealed that Rana helped with funding and logistics for the plot. Headley had visited Mumbai before the attacks, posing as an employee of Rana’s immigration firm, to scout target locations.

Rana was arrested by the FBI in Chicago in October 2009, a year after the attacks. He was charged with helping plan a failed attack on a Danish newspaper and for supporting the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the Mumbai attacks. In 2011, he was convicted in the US and was most recently held at a detention centre in Los Angeles.