India, April 12 -- A Delhi court on Friday granted the National Investigation Agency (NIA) 18 days of custodial interrogation of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, emphasising the importance of providing NIA with a "fair chance to thoroughly investigate the matter".

Special NIA Judge Chander Jit Singh, while allowing NIA's plea in the early hours of Friday, also noted satisfaction that the agency presented "enough material" reflecting a prima facie case and the "potential role of accused".

Rana, a 64-year-old Canadian citizen and former captain in the Pakistan army, arrived in Delhi on a special aircraft at around 6 pm after a stop in Dubai on Friday. He was immediately arrested by NIA, underwent a medical ...