NIA Records Voice, Handwriting Samples of 26/11Terror Attack Tahawwur Rana

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday, May 3, 2025, obtained voice and handwriting samples of Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, during a court proceeding in Delhi.

Rana was produced under heavy security before Judicial Magistrate First Class Vaibhav Kumar. The in-camera session was conducted to record samples of his handwriting, which included various letters and numbers, according to sources.

Rana’s legal aid counsel, Piyush Sachdev, confirmed that his client had fully complied with a court directive instructing him to provide both voice and handwriting samples.

The special NIA court had previously granted the agency permission to collect the samples. This decision was made by Special Judge Chander Jit Singh on April 30, following a plea filed by the NIA. Judge Singh had earlier extended Rana’s custody by 12 days on April 28.

Rana is known to be a close aide of David Coleman Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, a U.S. citizen and one of the main conspirators of the 26/11 attacks. He was extradited to India after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his appeal against the extradition on April 4.

The 26/11 Mumbai attacks, carried out on November 26, 2008, involved 10 Pakistani terrorists who infiltrated India via the Arabian Sea. They launched coordinated assaults on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, two luxury hotels, and a Jewish centre. The attacks lasted nearly 60 hours and resulted in the deaths of 166 people.