Extradition of ex-RAW agent may take years

NEW DELHI: The arrest of Vikash Yadav , a former RAW officer who has been accused by the US of masterminding a plot to kill pro-Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, may complicate efforts by the US to get him extradited.

While a US move to secure the extradition of Yadav looks to be a logical corollary of the decision to put him on the “most wanted” list, Delhi Police ’s allegation about his complicity in offences of robbery and kidnapping, each punishable with 10 years, may prove to be a tough obstacle. Yadav, an assistant commandant with CRPF before he joined RAW on deputation, was held in Dec last year. He is out on regular bail and is sure to contest the charge that he took to serious crime after being discharged from service due to the US allegations.



Going by the speed at which such cases move in Indian courts, it might be quite a while before the case is adjudicated.

India may send US Headley extradition reminder

Yadav can be extradited only after the conclusion of the trial and not before he, if adjudged guilty, has served his sentence.

There are also indications that India may send another reminder to the US about its pending request for the extradition of David Coleman Headley, aka Dawood Gilani, an operative of Lashkar-e-Toiba , who conducted recce for the gang that carried out the bloody 26/11 rampage in Mumbai, killing over 150 innocent civilians who, importantly, included US citizens. A US citizen of Pakistani origin who also worked as an informant for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Dawood had travelled to India on a US passport to dodge the scrutiny that Pakistani nationals are subjected to.

India’s request for the extradition of Tahawwur Rana , a Canadian travel agent of Pakistani origin who helped the Lashkar plot by arranging for tickets for Headley, is also pending. While the US court has cleared Rana’s extradition from a Los Angeles prison, his lawyers have deployed fresh tricks to frustrate India’s effort to face the law here.

Rana had filed a habeas corpus petition to oppose his extradition, but it was rejected, and the extradition was approved last year. In its ruling, the panel also held that India had presented adequate and competent evidence to back the magistrate judge’s determination of probable cause that Rana was involved in the charged crimes. The jury found him guilty of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organisation and conspiring to support an abortive Lashkar plot in Denmark.

Of the two, handing over Headley, currently in Chicago prison, may be more difficult for the US because of his deep links with DEA which appears to have led to overlooking of signs pointing to his links with LeT.

Last year, Vikash Yadav and his alleged associates were booked on charges of robbery and kidnapping for ransom on the complaint of one Rajkumar Walia, the owner of Markaz Cafe and Lounge in Delhi. Both offences carry a punishment of 10 years.

In his complaint, Walia had alleged Yadav and his aide Abdullah Khan had abducted him in an Ertiga car and taken him to a room in Defence Colony in south Delhi. Once there, Walia was informed that his Dubai-based rival named Jalaluddin alias Sameer had ordered a hit on him and that the matter could be settled if he paid money. They allegedly demanded Rs 20 lakh and took away Rs 50,000, besides a chain and a ring.