Police quizzing attackers’ taxi driver who was called from Pakistan number
Police quizzing attackers’ taxi driver who was called from Pakistan number
Investigators probing the Pathankot attack on Saturday said that the terrorists involved were in regular touch with their Pakistani handlers, who even arranged a taxi for them by calling from a mobile number of that country.
Sources said that the terrorists had first used a Toyota Innova on Friday and it has been found that the driver was called from a Pakistan number. Security agencies are questioning the driver and trying to find out whether he (driver) had been offering regular services to Pakistan-based smugglers who have links with the terrorists or it was a case of him not realising that it was a Pakistani number. The driver of the Innova was called to a particular spot near Pathankot where the terrorists boarded the vehicle.
Sources said that the car was used for travelling on an untarred road and dumped after a while as the rim of the vehicle got damaged. The terrorists then hijacked an SUV (Mahindra SUV X500) in which a superintendent of the Punjab police was travelling along with a friend and a cook. The SP and the cook were forced to leave the vehicle while the friend, a jeweller, was taken hostage. The terrorists snatched a mobile phone from them and used it to dial the number in Pakistan which was used to call the driver of the Toyota Innova. From this number, they called their handlers thrice and once a family member who was told that they were on a suicide mission.
Security agencies have found that the handlers were actively giving directions to the terrorists from the Pakistani mobile number. Since the number was under surveillance, security agencies were able to find out terrorists’ likely target, leading to deploying 160 NSG commandos, Army, besides others.
Meanwhile, it is also suspected that the terrorists might have infiltrated into India during the intervening night of December 30-31 from a spot near Bamiyal village in Pathankot, close to the international border. The terrorists reportedly crossed over near Shakargarh in Pakistan to Bamiyal village and later changed into Army fatigues before kidnapping Salwinder Singh, an SP-rank officer at Kolian village.
There were two other occupants in the vehicle. While the terrorists slit their throat, the police officer, who is facing charges of alleged breach of discipline, was released later and the vehicle was abandoned at Tajpur village, 2 km from Pathankot airbase.
One of the militants is alleged to have used the phone of the jeweller, who is undergoing treatment in a hospital, to make a call to Bhawalpur in Pakistan which was intercepted by intelligence agencies.
