Headley, Rana: What Indian agencies will ask FBI

Even as a team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation gets ready to share a mammoth dossier on David Headley and Tawwahur Rana (arrested by the FBI in Chicago for alleged links with the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba), Indian agencies too have gathered a lot of information on the duo.

Among other details, the Indian police will lay high importance on a couple of factors during its interaction with the FBI team, which will be visiting India soon.

The Mumbai recce

The information gathered so far suggests that Headley had come down to Mumbai several times prior to the 26/11 terror attacks in the city and even conducted a recce of the targets, including the Taj Mahal hotel that was attacked by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba gunmen. Indian agencies also have information that Headley visited the Nariman House on the instructions of Sajid Mir or Zarar Shah, his handler based in Pakistan.

Sajid Mir

Any information on him will be crucial in the Mumbai attacks case, since he is more of a mystery to the investigators till now. Indian agencies believe Mir guided both the Lashkar gunmen during the attacks and Headley. Sources say the FBI has questioned Headley and Rana regarding Mir and will share more details with India once they are here.

The Delhi recce

The police have already gathered a lot of information regarding Headley's visits to the national capital. Headley had reportedly stayed at Paharganj in Delhi, from where he traveled to nearby places to conduct recces. The Indian intelligence has also learned that Headley had met a number of people in Delhi who have also been questioned. Headley's also visited the National Defence Academy and other schools. He had also been a regular visitor to a cyber café in Delhi from where he kept in touch with his handler in Pakistan.

The FBI team is expected to brief the Indian agencies on Headley's dealings in Delhi.

Rana's Kerala visit

The FBI is also expected to provide details on Tawwahur Rana's Kerala visit, which has been confirmed by the Indian agencies. The details will be extremely crucial since Indian investigators have gathered that Rana had also activated certain cadres of the Indian Mujahideen and even helped some of them slip out of the country from Kerala.

The Indian agencies will be eager to gather details of the people Rana met while in Kerala to know more about the Indian Mujahideen.

Women with Headley

This will be another important angle for the Indian investigators, who have so far found details about two women who were with Headley and want to know more from the FBI to fill loopholes in the investigation. The FBI too has grilled Headley regarding this.

The Pushkar visit

Headley's visit to Pushkar will also be of focus. An Indian investigation team is already in Pushkar to gather more details. There are reports that Headley had left for Pushkar immediately after the Mumbai attacks, and may have fled to Pakistan from here. Indian investigators would also like to know if Headley had visited Pushkar to escape from the police radar or to conduct another recce, considering the fact that many Isreali tourists flock here for the Pushkar fair.