In NIA custody, Tahawwur Rana demands 3 things - Quran, pen and…

THe subject investigating bureau (NIA) questioned 26/11 bombay attacks plotter Tahawwur Hussain Rana for the second consecutive day to probe a larger conspiracy of the series of coordinated strikes of 2008.Tahawwur Rana is kept in a highly-secured cell, inside the NIA's head office at CGO complex in New Delhi, being guarded by security personnel round the clock, news agency PTI reported, citing unnamed sources.Official told HT that Tahawwur Rana is being treated “as any other arrested person with no special treatment". He has been provided with a copy of the Quran at his request and is observed offering Namaz five times daily in his cell at the agency headquarters.“He requested for a copy of Quran which we provided. He is seen offering Namaz five times in his cell,” said an officer, describing Rana as a “religious man".Besides the Quran, Rana asked for pen and paper, which have been provided, though he remains under close observation to ensure he doesn’t use the pen to harm himself. “Beyond that, he has not made any other demands,” the officer noted.As per court directives, Rana is allowed to meet a lawyer provided by the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) every alternate day, and undergoes a medical examination every 48 hours. “All procedures are being followed, like for other arrested individuals,” confirmed another officer.Rana was brought to the NIA headquarters early Friday morning after a Delhi court granted 18-day custody to the probe agency, following his extradition from the US.Tahawwur Rana's grilling continuesTahawwur Rana is being questioned by a team of NIA officials as they try to piece together his exact role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that left the country shaken over 16 years ago.Unnamed sources told PTI that investigators are grilling him based on a series of leads, including dozens of phone calls between him and David Coleman Headley — also known as Daood Gilani — the American national who’s currently serving time in a US prison for his role in the plot.Rana is also being asked about people he met in the lead-up to the attacks, especially a key contact in Dubai who, according to officials, may have been aware of the plan to target Mumbai.The 64-year-old Canadian businessman, originally from Pakistan, is also under the scanner for his suspected links to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI, and the terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the strikes.Officials are hoping that Rana’s answers, especially about his travel across parts of north and south India just days before the attack, might help uncover new details about the conspiracy.(With inputs from Neeraj Chauhan in New Delhi and PTI)