NIA tight-lipped over identity of Indian aides of Headley

New Delhi, Aug 24 (PTI) The identity, status and the
numerical strength of Indian aides of terror suspect David
Coleman Headley have been kept as a closely guarded secret by
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which has also sought
the co-operation from a court here to maintain total secrecy.
The NIA has told a designated court here that the
Indian suspects, who had helped Headley and others to plot and
carry out terror attacks in Delhi, Mumbai and other parts of
the country between 2005-09, hailed from Kerala and Mumbai.
The agency informed the court about it while seeking to
conduct the lie-detection test of the suspects for which it
was asked to take the consent of those whose names have been
given in a sealed cover.
Their numbers, addresses and the status as to whether
they are in custody or not have not been disclosed in open
court as these details have been provided to the court in a
sealed cover.
The court asked the NIA to get the consent of the
accused for the test in writing and file them on record.
However, it was not known, how much time has been
granted to the agency to get their consent before the court.
The move to conduct the lie detection tests assumed
significance as the NIA has recently secured NBWs against
two Pakistani officers Major Iqbal and Major Sameer Ali along
with Lashkar operatives Sajid Majid, Syed Abdur Rehman and
Illyas Kashmiri for getting the Red Corner Notices issued by
the Interpol.
Besides them, the NIA, in the FIR filed on November 11
last year, has made American of Pakistani origin Headley,
Tawahoor Rana, Canadian national also of Pakistani origin, who
are now in the custody of FBI, Mumbai terror mastermind Hafiz
Sayeed, LeT operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi as
accused.
The nine accused are wanted in connection with terror
attacks in Mumbai, Delhi and other places since 2005. PTI SJK
MYR