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Meet the two senior NIA officers bringing back 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana
Two senior National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers --- Ashish Batra and Jaya Roy --- are leading the extradition process of Tahawwur Hussain Rana
New Delhi: Two senior National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers --- Ashish Batra and Jaya Roy --- are leading the extradition process of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, from the United States, officials said.
Ashish Batra, a 1997-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the Jharkhand cadre, is currently serving as the inspector general (IG) in the NIA. He was deputed to the agency in 2019 for a five-year term, which has been extended by two years until September 15, 2024, by the ministry of home affairs. Before joining the NIA, Batra was the IG of Jharkhand Jaguar, an anti-insurgency unit, starting January 20, 2018. He has also served as the spokesperson for the Jharkhand Police and held additional duties as IG Abhiyan.
Throughout his career, Batra has held various operational and administrative roles. He served as assistant superintendent of police in Jehanabad for three months, followed by superintendent of police in Koel Karo and Hazaribagh. Batra was also the City SP in Ranchi for 19 months and spent a year and a half on the governor’s security detail.
Jaya Roy, a 2011-batch IPS officer from the Jharkhand cadre, currently serves as deputy inspector general in the NIA. She was deputed to the agency in 2019 as superintendent of police for a four-year term, which has since been extended. Roy is best known for leading the team that cracked down on cybercriminals in Jamtara, a case that has inspired a major web series.
The Pakistan-born Canadian physician lost his plea in the US Supreme Court against his extradition earlier this week. An update on the US Federal Bureau of Prisons on Wednesday confirmed he is no longer in the metropolitan detention centre in Los Angeles. A team of Indian investigators took custody of the 64-year-old to bring him to India
Rana is likely to be kept in Delhi’s Tihar prison as a high–risk prisoner – category S1 – usually separated from other inmates for their and others’ safety. Jails 2 and 4 – the highest security premises – were being considered, an official said on Wednesday, who added that a final decision in this regard was awaited.
The physician-businessman allegedly helped co-conspirator David Coleman Headley in reconnaissance of targets in Mumbai and allegedly planned attacks at National Defence College (NDC) and Chabad Houses. 166 people were killed in the Mumbai attacks, the deadliest terror attack on India by Pakistan-backed terrorists.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Rana in Chicago on October 18, 2009 for providing material support to the conspiracy to commit terrorist acts involving murder, kidnapping and maiming outside the US, including Mumbai and Copenhagen.
This is the first time Indian authorities will question Rana. When a NIA team travelled to the US in June 2010 to question David Coleman Headley, Rana was not questioned.
