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As India prepares to put one of the most wanted men in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks on trial, a well-known author has revealed a shocking detail — the terrorists had initially considered targeting a quiet housing colony for military veterans in Mumbai.
Jal Vayu Vihar, a peaceful residential area meant for retired Air Force and Navy officers in Powai, was reportedly on the radar of the 2008 attackers. The man who allegedly scoped out the area? Tahawwur Rana — an ex-Pakistan Army doctor and one of the key accused in the case.
How Jal Vayu Vihar Came Into the Picture
The revelation came from journalist and author Sandeep Unnithan, who wrote the book “Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Unnithan shared how his own parents, who lived in Jal Vayu Vihar, were stunned when Mumbai Police arrived in 2010 — two years after the attacks — with an armored vehicle that remained parked near the gate for almost two years.
“In 2010, two years after the horrific Mumbai #26/11 attacks, residents of Jal Vayu Vihar, a housing colony for Air Force and Navy veterans in Mumbai, had a surprise visitor at their doorstep: a Mumbai police SWAT team and an armoured vehicle. That vehicle remained at their gate there for nearly two years. I soon found out why,” Unnithan wrote.
A Personal Connection — And a Chilling Motive
The story became personal for the author when he realized the reason behind the heavy police presence. His parents lived in that colony, and his father was one of many residents who had served in the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
“But why JVV? Because many residents, including my father, were 1971 war veterans — one of them was in the Dhaka surrender ceremony photograph. Rana, an ex-Pak Army officer, told Headley he wanted to kill the veterans to avenge 1971,” he said.
According to Unnithan, Rana had stayed at a hotel in Powai to do reconnaissance of the neighborhood — information that came out during the 2010 interrogation of David Coleman Headley, Rana’s childhood friend and another major accused in the case.
Why the Attack Didn’t Happen
The plan to target Jal Vayu Vihar was ultimately dropped because the location was too far from the landing site the terrorists used in South Mumbai.
“The attack on Jal Vayu Vihar was eventually ruled out as it was over 30 kilometers north of the terrorist drop site in South Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade,” Unnithan explained.
Still, he added, the rage and helplessness of what followed has stayed with many.
“But over 160 other civilians were massacred by an attack blatantly conducted from across the border by the Pak Army’s ISI and its terrorist proxies. We felt helpless rage. It was our sheep state vs the Pak deep state,” he added.
Full Circle: From Threat to Celebration
As fate would have it, Unnithan’s father recently celebrated a big milestone — and he chose to mark it in the very hotel where Rana once stayed.
“Times have changed. We’re not a sheep state. Tahuwwur Rana is being bundled into a plane and being brought back to face trial in India. He will rot in jail. His deep state bosses in Pakistan are looking over their shoulders and under their beds. And my father? He celebrated his 80th birthday recently. He chose the same hotel in Powai that Rana lived in,” Unnithan wrote.
Rana Finally Lands in India to Face Trial
After exhausting all legal options to stop his extradition, Tahawwur Rana was flown out of the U.S. on Wednesday evening and is expected to land in New Delhi this afternoon. He will be taken into custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as soon as he arrives and is likely to be sent to Tihar Jail, according to reports from news agency PTI.
What We Know About Rana’s Role in 26/11
Rana, who holds Canadian citizenship and is originally from Pakistan, is believed to have played a key role in enabling the attacks. Authorities say he was aware of the entire plan and helped David Headley create a cover story to carry out surveillance in India.
Headley told investigators that Rana had allowed him to open a business office in Mumbai as a front for his activities. He also said that he visited India five times between 2007 and 2008 on a visa arranged with Rana’s help, scouting locations that would later become targets in the deadly assault.
He revealed that the attackers were working with the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba and that the Taj Mahal Hotel — where Rana had once stayed with his wife — was a deliberate target in the plan.
A Long Wait for Justice Nears Its End
With Rana finally on Indian soil, families of 26/11 victims, investigators, and citizens who lived through the horror now look forward to seeing justice done. The fact that a quiet colony for war veterans could’ve been one of the many targets makes it all the more chilling — but also a reminder of how much worse the attack could have been.
For those who lost loved ones and for those like Unnithan whose families narrowly escaped being part of the tragedy, Rana’s return feels like a long-overdue reckoning.
