New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) A Special NIA court in Delhi has cleared the way for the federal anti-terror agency to collect Pakistani-Canadian national Tahawwur Rana’s voice samples and match them with recordings of his telephonic discussions with 26/11 co-accused David Coleman Headley, an official said on Thursday. Rana’s handwriting samples will also be matched with written instructions, coordinates, and maps, which he is suspected to have passed on to Headley to help scout terror targets in Mumbai in 2008, said the official, referring to the trial court’s nod given on Wednesday for the purpose.

The NIA is also preparing to take Rana to Mumbai and other cities to reconstruct the chain of events preceding the terror attack that left 166 people dead. On April 28 last week, the Special NIA court extended Rana’s NIA custody by 12 more days to allow investigators to question him. Special Judge Charan Jit Singh accepted Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan’s plea that the investigating agency needs more time to uncover Rana’s role in the Mumbai attack of 2008. Rana’s 18-day remand ended on Monday, and he was presented in court for an extension of his NIA custody.

During the court proceedings, the Special Judge was informed by the NIA about the alleged evasive technique adopted by Rana during questioning. The NIA also expressed its desire to take Rana to various other cities to reconstruct the chain of events during the accused’s India visits preceding the terror attack. The court had earlier directed the NIA to conduct a medical test of Rana every 24 hours and allow him to speak to his lawyers every second day.

During his 18-day remand, Rana was also questioned by Mumbai Police officers. During the interrogation, Rana claimed 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 of 26/11. Headley is currently in a US jail. 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. Rana, a former officer of the Pakistan Army’s Medical Corps, was extradited to India from the US recently to face justice in the Mumbai attack case.

/IANS