The extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key conspirator in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, is expected to shed fresh light on his brief visit to Kochi on November 16, 2008. Following his arrest in 2009, the Kerala Police gathered intelligence indicating that Rana had spent nearly 24 hours in the city, just days before the attacks.Former State Police Chief Jacob Punnose, who headed the Kerala Police from December 2008 to August 2012, said details of Rana’s Kochi visit only came to light after his arrest abroad, nearly a year after the Mumbai attacks. “We found that he stayed at a hotel in Kochi for about 24 hours, but the purpose of the visit and whom he met remained unclear. Hopefully, the extradition will help reveal more. We understand Indian agencies have already questioned him about this,” he told TNIE.The Kerala Police had passed on the information to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which later took over the probe. Punnose suggested that Rana’s trip to Kochi may have been for a covert meeting rather than for any terror-related activity in Kerala.“In espionage circles, neutral venues are often chosen for confidential meetings. If someone wishes to meet in secrecy, they usually opt for a location far from their usual base. Viewed in that context, Kochi may have been selected for such a meeting,” he said.NIA investigations later revealed that Rana had stayed at a hotel near Marine Drive on November 16, 2008, under the pretext of conducting overseas recruitment. He had even published a newspaper advertisement inviting job seekers for opportunities in the US and Canada. He returned to Mumbai the next day.It is also suspected that David Coleman Headley, a US national of Pakistani origin who conducted reconnaissance of the 26/11 attack sites, had visited Kochi prior to the attacks. Headley was later arrested by the FBI and interrogated by Indian agencies in the US.
Source link
