As the National Investigation Agency (NIA) began questioning Tahawwur Rana, the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, two senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers—Jaya Roy and Ashish Batra—are spearheading the high-profile investigation. Rana, a 64-year-old Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman, was extradited to India from the United States on Thursday, nearly 16 years after the attacks that claimed 166 lives. He was subsequently remanded to NIA custody for 18 days by a special court in Delhi.
Who Are NIA Officers Jaya Roy And Ashish Batra?
According to NDTV, Roy and Batra, both of whom played a key role in securing Rana’s extradition, are now leading a 12-member NIA team tasked with investigating the case. The agency informed the court that the probe would delve into the “deeper layers of the conspiracy”, and Rana needed to be confronted with crucial evidence that could lead to “additional discoveries”.
Jaya Roy, a 2011-batch IPS officer of the Jharkhand cadre, is currently serving as the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the NIA. Born on 22 April 1979 in West Bengal, she holds an MBBS degree and joined the civil services after clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam in 2011. Her initial posting was with the Jharkhand Police.
Roy gained recognition after her team cracked down on cyber criminals operating from Jamtara, Jharkhand—a case that later inspired the Netflix web series ‘Jamtara’, released in 2020, Hindustan Times reported. She was deputed to the NIA in 2019 as Superintendent of Police and has since risen through the ranks.
Ashish Batra, a 1997 batch IPS officer also from the Jharkhand cadre, currently serves as Inspector General (IG) in the NIA. Before joining the agency in 2019, Batra led the anti-insurgency unit Jharkhand Jaguar. His initial five-year tenure with the NIA was extended by two years by the Union Home Ministry.
Tahawwur Rana’s Involvement In 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks
Rana, accused of being a key conspirator in the Mumbai attacks, is also believed to have been involved in planning similar large-scale attacks in other Indian cities. The NIA has told the court that his links with other terrorists and accused individuals in the 26/11 case are under scrutiny.
A close associate of David Coleman Headley alias Daood Gilani, a US citizen and the main conspirator in the Mumbai attacks, Rana is accused of conspiring with operatives of Pakistan-based designated terrorist organisations Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihadi Islami (HUJI). His Chicago-based travel firm allegedly served as a front for Headley’s reconnaissance missions in India.
Rana has been charged with conspiracy, murder, commission of a terrorist act, and forgery, among other offences.
A special NIA court in Delhi sent him to agency custody for further interrogation shortly after his arrival from the US, where he had been incarcerated since 2009 in connection with a separate case.
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