Tahawwur Hussain Rana, who has been convicted in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks case, lost his last legal option in the US to avoid extradition to India. 

Advertisment

The US Supreme Court on Friday (Jan 24) approved Rana's extradition as it dismissed the terror convict's review request against his conviction. This decision clears the way for India to extradite the convict and bring him to justice.

India is seeking the extradition of several fugitives, including Rana, who has evaded Indian law by fleeing the country. According to the government, approximately one-third of these fugitives have taken refuge in the US, which has become a perceived “safe haven” for individuals wanted for crimes and terrorism in India.

Also read | US Supreme Court clears Mumbai terror attack convict Tahawwur Rana's extradition to India

Advertisment

Five key extradition battles being fought by India abroad

Tahawwur Hussain Rana

Tahawwur Rana, a Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman and former Pakistan Army doctor, is wanted in India for his alleged role in the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed over 160 people. Rana had prior knowledge of the attacks and was arrested in 2009 for plotting a terror attack in Denmark. 

Advertisment

He has already been convicted of providing material support to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the militant group behind the Mumbai terror attack. In the latest update, the US Supreme Court cleared his extradition to India.

Arsh Dalla

Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill, also known as Arsh Dalla, is currently based in Canada, where he's been arrested and released on bail. India has been seeking his extradition, as he's wanted in connection with over 50 cases of murder, attempted murder, extortion, and terrorist acts.

He was designed as a "terrorist" in January 2004. Sources suggest he has been in touch with the Pakistani spy agency ISI. Dalla was arrested last October after he was injured in an attack. Since then, India has been trying to extradite him, but he secured bail in December.

Anmol Bishnoi

Anmol Bishnoi is the younger brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and is wanted in India for several high-profile cases, including the murders of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and politician Baba Siddique. Lawrence runs the dreaded Bishnoi gang from a jail in India. 

Anmol was arrested in the US last November for entering the country without valid documents. Intelligence sources had indicated he could not extradited so soon despite a custody request from Delhi.

Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi

Nirav Modi, a diamond merchant, and his uncle Mehul Choksi are at the centre of the massive Rs 14,000 crore PNB loan fraud case. They're accused of colluding with the bank's officials to perpetrate the fraud, which involved issuing fake letters of undertaking to secure overseas loans without adequate collateral.

Nirav Modi left the country in 2018 and was arrested in London the same year. Lodged in a UK jail now, he has lost all his petitions against extradition to India so far. Mehul Choksi is now in Antigua.

Vijay Mallya

Vijay Mallya, the embattled liquor tycoon, fled India in 2016 amidst a massive loan default scandal exceeding Rs 9,000 crore. Currently residing in the UK, Mallya faces charges of fraud in connection with the downfall of his defunct airline, Kingfisher Airlines.

He was declared a fugitive in 2019. India is in a long legal fight for the custody of Mallya, which is unlikely to end anytime soon. Back home, a CBI court issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against him last year in a separate Rs 180 crore loan default case.

Besides this list, there are several other offenders that India is trying to bring back including Sanjay Bhandari, an arms deal consultant, who is in the UK and faces charges of tax evasion and money laundering. 

Sourabh Chandrakar, promoter of the Mahadev betting app, is also facing extradition over money laundering charges after his arrest in Dubai in 2023.

It was reported then that he had been kept under "house detention" amid efforts by Indian agencies to secure his deportation.

(With inputs from agencies)