NEW DELHI: The NIA investigators, who continued grilling extradited 2008 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana for the second day on Saturday, are trying to establish the identity of the person whom Rana met in Dubai, as they suspect that the man was an operative of the Pakistan’s overseas intelligence agency ISI, sources said.
They went on to add that the investigators are keeping a surprise ‘mystery witness’, who knew Rana even before the attack took place, to confront him at an appropriate time during questioning.
Since the investigation report, shared by the US authorities, mentions Rana’s alleged meeting with an ISI official or its agent, who had the prior knowledge of the Mumbai terror plot in Dubai, the sources said the investigators are trying to establish the identity of the person and his role in the conspiracy.
The sources said, according to the US document records, David Coleman Headley had set up the Dubai meeting and prior to this he had warned Rana about the plot and against travelling to India.
Meanwhile, the sources said the investigators are keeping “protected mystery witness”, who, according to the NIA happens to be a childhood friend of both Rana and Headley. Rana will be confronted with the witness at an appropriate time to nail him conclusively in the case.
According to the sources the identity of the ‘mystery witness’ has been kept under wrap and discreet to the extent that even the court documents do not have his name because investigators feel that he could be harmed by rogue elements in Pakistan be it state-actors or terror outfits like LeT.
As the attack plot was being worked out in 2006-07, Headley first visited India in September 2006 and took videos as asked by Pakistan based handlers, sources said, adding that during this visit only that he was received by an individual close to Rana. The person who received Headly is the NIA’s ‘mystery witness’ and he arranged accommodations and other logistics after being instructed by Rana, they said.
The sources said, the investigators are planning to confront Rana with the witness to unravel his connections in India and those whom he met during his multiple visits to India between 2006 and 2009.