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Tahawwur Rana denies role in Mumbai terror attack during interrogation (Ld)

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Mumbai, April 26: Tahawwur Rana, the Pakistani-Canadian national accused of involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, has denied any role in the conspiracy during his interrogation by the Mumbai Crime Branch.

According to senior officials, Rana, who is currently in the custody of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Delhi, was questioned for over eight hours by a team of Mumbai Police officers.

During the interrogation, Rana distanced himself from the attacks that claimed over 166 lives and injured hundreds on November 26, 2008.

Rana reportedly told investigators that he had “no connection whatsoever” with the planning or execution of the attack.

He also claimed that his childhood friend and co-accused, David Coleman Headley, was solely responsible for the reconnaissance and planning aspects.

Headley, who turned approver in the case, had earlier admitted to conducting recce missions across India, including in Mumbai, on behalf of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

During questioning, Rana said that apart from Mumbai and Delhi, he had also travelled to Kerala.

When asked about the purpose of his visit to Kerala, he claimed he had gone there to meet a known acquaintance and had provided the individual’s name and address to the agency.

Following this, sources said a team from the Mumbai Crime Branch may soon travel to Kerala to verify his claims and question the said person.

Officials revealed that Rana was largely uncooperative during the interrogation and frequently gave evasive answers.

He also cited memory lapses, stating that he was unable to recall specific details related to the attack that occurred over 17 years ago.

The interrogation is part of an ongoing probe by the NIA into the extensive three-year groundwork carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) prior to the Mumbai terror attacks.

Rana is also being questioned about his alleged links to several individuals whose names surfaced in intercepted communications, including Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, Sajid Majid, Ilyas Kashmiri, and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi — all of whom are believed to have played crucial roles in the 26/11 conspiracy.

Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps, was extradited to India from the United States recently to face justice in the Mumbai attack case.

Crime

Thane Police Crack Dombivli Bar Murder Case Within 24 Hours, Arrest Six Accused After Film-Style Chase In Nashik

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Dombivli: In a shocking incident, a 38-year-old man was brutally murdered following a minor altercation outside a bar in Dombivli MIDC area. The Manpada Police cracked the case within 24 hours and arrested six accused from Nashik after a dramatic, film-style chase through narrow lanes.

The arrested accused have been identified as Amar Rajesh Mahajan (36), Akshay Kumar Shankar Waghle (26), Atul Balu Kamble (24), Nilesh Madhukar Thosar (42), Prateek Singh Prem Singh Chauhan (26), and Lokesh Nitin Chaudhary (24).

The incident took place around 12:15 a.m. on Sunday, November 9, near the entrance of Malvan Kinara Bar and Restaurant in the MIDC Phase 2 area. The victim, Akash Bhanu Singh (38), was stabbed to death following a dispute over an accidental push.

According to the complaint filed by Akash’s younger brother, Badal Singh, who works at a call center in Navi Mumbai, Akash had gone to the bar with his friends for dinner. As they entered, Akshay Waghle accidentally brushed against him. Although Akash apologized and explained it was unintentional, Waghle became aggressive, assaulted him, and threatened to kill him.

Soon after, Waghle called his associates to the spot. The six accused dragged Akash out of the bar, brutally assaulted him on the road, and stabbed him multiple times, killing him on the spot. When Sunil Kagale, a bystander, tried to intervene, the gang attacked him with knives as well leaving him injured.

The case posed a major challenge for police, as there were no immediate clues or CCTV evidence from the crime scene. However, under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Jende, Assistant Commissioner of Police Suhas Hemade, and Senior Police Inspector Sandipan Shinde, the Manpada police team launched an intensive investigation.

A team led by Assistant Police Inspectors Sampat Phadol, Mahesh Rale-bhat, and Sagar Chavan used technical surveillance and local informants to trace the accused to Nashik. Acting on a tip-off, police teams coordinated with Nashik City Police and raided multiple locations. On seeing the police, the accused tried to flee, but officers chased them down in a cinematic-style pursuit through the streets and successfully arrested all six.

Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre commended the Manpada Police team for their swift action and exemplary investigation that led to solving the murder case within 24 hours.

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Crime

Jharkhand: CBI arrests postal inspector and assistant red-handed for taking bribe

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New Delhi, Nov 13: In a major crackdown on corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested a Postal Inspector and an Assistant from the main post office in Saraikela district headquarters, Jharkhand, while they were caught red-handed accepting a bribe.

The agency recovered cash and several incriminating documents during the operation. CBI officials are currently interrogating both accused.

According to sources, the CBI received a complaint alleging that the Postal Inspector and Assistant of the Saraikela Post Office had demanded a bribe from Ranjan Das, who had been selected for the post of Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS).

The officials allegedly asked for 20,000 in exchange for accepting his joining. Acting on the complaint, the CBI verified the information and laid a trap, successfully apprehending the duo while they were accepting the bribe.

Following the arrest, the CBI conducted searches at the post office premises and at the residences of the accused officers.

During these searches, officials recovered cash, official documents, and papers related to suspected financial transactions, all of which have been seized for further investigation.

The agency is also probing whether other postal employees or officials were involved in the bribery network. Preliminary findings suggest that complaints about irregularities in recruitment and document verification at the post office had been reported earlier.

Both accused are being questioned at the CBI’s regional office in Ranchi.

After completing the necessary formalities, they will be produced before a special CBI court.

This marks the second such action by the CBI in Jharkhand within a week.

Just five days ago, the agency’s Anti-Corruption Branch arrested Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) HR officer Deepak Giri in Khilari for allegedly accepting a Rs 50,000 bribe.

Giri had reportedly demanded Rs 1.5 lakh from complainant Roshan Kumar in exchange for a compassionate appointment following his father’s death earlier this year.

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Crime

Banned drugs worth Rs 45 crore smuggled from Myanmar seized in Mizoram; two held

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Aizawl, Nov 13: The Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with Mizoram Police, recovered highly addictive Methamphetamine tablets valued at Rs 45 crore from Saitual district and arrested two drug peddlers, officials said on Thursday.

A defence spokesman said that based on specific intelligence about the movement of drugs on the Ngopa-Saitual road in northern Mizoram’s Saitual district, a joint operation was launched on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The team of Assam Rifles established a vehicle check post, which intercepted the suspected vehicle carrying drugs at Ngopa.

During the search operation, 15 kg of banned Methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 45 crore were recovered from two persons — Rabizul Haq and Naasiruddin, both residents of Barpeta in western Assam.

Recovered contraband, smuggled from Myanmar, along with apprehended individuals and their vehicle, were handed over to the Saitual district Police for detailed investigation and further legal proceedings.

As part of its continuous efforts to curb the spread of the drug menace in Mizoram, the Assam Rifles conducted yet another successful anti-narcotics operation, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles, in a joint operation with Assam Police, recovered heroin valued at Rs 4.65 crore from near Jhujang Pahar in Cachar district of southern Assam on November 11.

The November 11 drug seizure took place within two days in the same Cachar district.

The Assam Rifles, in a similar joint operation with Assam Police, recovered methamphetamine tablets worth Rs 6 crore on November 9. The banned methamphetamine tablets, also known as Yaba or party tablets, contain a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine and are commonly referred to as the ‘crazy drug’.

The highly addictive drugs are very popular among drug addicts in India, Bangladesh and the neighbouring countries.

Notably, Myanmar shares a 1,643-km-long unfenced border with four Northeastern states — Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland — which serve as a key transit point for drugs, particularly heroin and methamphetamine tablets.

At least six of the 10 districts of Mizoram — Champhai, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Saitual and Serchhip — share a 510-km border with Myanmar. Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and southern Assam have turned into major corridors for drug smuggling from Myanmar, with the illegal consignments being ferried to other parts of the country and abroad.

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