Hours after United States President Donald Trump approved the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that “final justice” would be meted out to the victims and martyrs of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, and Anmol Bishnoi, who agencies believe is the mastermind in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, are prominent names for whom extradition has been sought by India from the US.
Anmol, the younger brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was arrested in the US in November 2024.
India, coinciding with PM Narendra Modi's US visit, has also handed over a list of 10 notorious gangsters and terrorists to the US and sought or will be seeking their extradition.
“As we all know, previously, we tried to get his confessions online which led to the proof of Pakistan's involvement in the attacks. But, at that time, America had clarified that they would not extradite him as he was under their protection…
Although he is a criminal of India and he should be punished, this was our stand,” he said.
“The US has agreed to the extradition of the mastermind behind planning the 26/11 attacks, Tahawwur Rana…He was under America’s protection, and they were not ready to extradite him… After PM Modi’s efforts, President Trump has agreed to it… I consider this as a significant development,” he said.
Congress MP Manish Tewari says extradition of Tahawwur Rana will help "unravel" conspiracy behind 26/11 attack
"If Tahawwur Rana eventually comes back to India, that will help in unravelling the conspiracy behind 26/11. But the real test is getting Hafiz Saeed from Pakistan because he is the real linchpin of the 26/11 attacks...", Tewari said.
Donald Trump himself confirming the "immediate extradition" of "very violent" Rana also said that more such extraditions to India would follow.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri did not specify India’s other extradition requests during Thursday’s special briefing but it is true New Delhi has stated that every third fugitive wanted by India is in the US.
This includes David Coleman Headley, another key accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. This suggests that India has multiple pending extradition requests from the US. So, who else is on India's list?
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: "On extradition, yes, there are other requests as well. I won't go into the names immediately, but there are other requests that are registered with the US authorities".
"We are giving a very violent man [Tahawwur Rana] back to India immediately. There are more to follow because we have quite a few requests. We work with India on crime, and we want to make things better for India," President Trump has said.
Rana, a Canadian national of Pakistani origin, is currently locked up at a detention centre in Los Angeles.
Rana's extradition marks an important milestone in India's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice. The 2008 attacks resulted in the deaths of 166 people, including six US citizens, and injured hundreds more.
In December 2024, MoS Home Nityanand Rai informed the Lok Sabha that out of 178 extradition requests sent to various countries, 65 were directed to the US.
"As per records from the Ministry of External Affairs, 65 requests for extradition of fugitive criminals made by India are under consideration of US authorities," Rai said in December. Rai had also informed the Lok Sabha that between 2002 and 2018, only 11 extradition requests were honoured by the US.
The joint statement by PM Modi and US President Trump, that came after the announcement of Rana's extradition, called on Pakistan to ensure its territory is not used to carry out "cross-border terror attacks".
It also named Pakistan-based terror groups al-Qaida, Islamic State, Jaish-e Mohammad, and Lashkar-e-Taiba as the foremost threats to the peace and stability of India and its neighbourhood.
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