Pakistani-Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana stayed at Mumbai hotel days before 26/11 terror attacks: Police in chargesheet

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Mumbai police's crime branch has said that Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana stayed for two days at a hotel in suburban Powai till November 21, 2008, days before the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

The supplementary chargesheet filed on Monday, mentions that Tahawwur Hussain Rana came to India on November 11, 2008 and stayed in the country till November 21. He spent two of these days at the Renaissance Hotel in Powai, a senior official of the Mumbai police's crime branch told PTI on Tuesday.

The Mumbai police's crime branch on Monday submitted the over 400-page chargesheet, the fourth in the case so far, before a special court hearing the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) cases.

Rana, currently under detention in the United States, faces multiple charges for his role in the Mumbai attacks and is known to be associated with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 strikes.

"We have found documentary evidence against Rana and some statements in which his role in the conspiracy was established. The documentary evidence shows that Rana was actively involved in the conspiracy with Pakistani-American terrorist David Coleman Headley, one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 strikes," an official said.

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He (Rana) was the person who helped Headley get an Indian tourist visa based on fake documents, the official added. Rana allegedly provided logistic support to the Lashkar-e-Taiba in carrying out the 26/11 terror attacks, he said. "The crime branch has found email communications between Headley and Rana," he said, adding that in one of the emails related to 26/11 terror attacks, Headley asked about Major Iqbal's email id, he said.

Major Iqbal, an operative of the Pakistani intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was named as accused in the 26/11 terror plot case, he said.

A total of 166 people were killed when 10 terrorists from Pakistan arrived by sea route on November 26, 2008, and laid a more than 60-hour siege in the financial capital during which they targeted the city's landmarks, a hospital and a Jewish centre, among other places.

Among the 10 terrorists was Ajmal Kasab, who was caught alive and later put on trial and sentenced to death by a special court.

He was hanged to death at Pune's Yerawada central prison in November 2012, two years after being held guilty in the case by the court. (With inputs from agencies)