Rana had visitors at hotel
Kochi | Tuesday, Nov 17 2009 IST
 

Terror suspect Tahawwur Hussain Rana and his wife Samraz Rana, who visited the city from Novermber 16 to 17, 2008, had mainly remained confined to their room but had three to four visitors at the lobby of Gateway Hotel (formerly Taj Residency) here. Reliable sources confirmed that the duo had checked in at the hotel around 1800 hrs on November 16 and left around noon, the next day. Rana had paid a rent for the room (No 611) using the Internet through a private travel agency prior to the visit and did not make any direct payment at the hotel.

The couple did not use any of the hotel services, including restaurant, bar and the travel desk, and probably had food from outside.

Though Rana had posted an advertisement in one of the national dailies as a migration consultant looking for people willing to migrate to Canada and the US, no interview was conducted at the hotel as permission was not taken from the local police for the interview, sources added. Sources noted that Rana had met three to four people at the lobby of the hotel. An official of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had verified the relevant documents relating to Rana and his wife at the hotel yesterday. The official had also visited the office of the national daily, which had carried the advertisement on November 17.

According to the advertisement, Rana will be in Kochi on November 16 and 17, Delhi on November 14 and 15, Ahmedabad on November 18 and Mumbai on November 20, 2008. Sources also noted that the mandatory 'C' form and the copies of the couple were forwarded to the police, as the visitors were foreign citizens. Meanwhile, the NIA and the State Intelligence wing were trying to retrace the steps of Rana during his visit to the city. The police was also taking the help of the cyber cell to get information from the cell number Rana used while visiting the city.

Rana and David Coleman Headley were held by the FBI, a month back on charges of plotting attacks in India and Denmark and investigations had pointed finger to the fact that Headley had stayed at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai and Rana also visited the metropolis before the 26/11 terror attacks.

-- (UNI) -- 17MS31.xml

 

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