New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency is widening its scope of investigation in the Pathankot terror attack. The probe is on to check whether the terrorists got inside help to enter the Pathankot Air Force base.
According to Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh's cook Madan Gopal and his friend Rajesh Verma said there were four terrorists who abducted them. But at the Airbase, six terrorists were killed in the operation that continued for nearly 40 hours while the combing operations are still underway.
Sources said that the two groups of terrorists exactly knew the meeting point inside the Airbase raising suspicion that a prior detailed recce of the IAF base was done before.
The sources said that investigators will check if inside help was given for this reccee.
The sources added that the evidence so far indicates that Rajesh Verma's phone was the only one through which calls were made.
The NIA is likely to take Salwinder Singh to Delhi for questioning, said sources on Thursday as there are major loopholes in his account. Singh had claimed that he was abducted by terrorists and the Punjab Police will investigate into his claims.
The NIA has reconstructed the route taken by abducted Singh. The NIA team took Singh from Gurdaspur to Pathankot to Kathua to the Panj Pir Dargah and then back to the Pathankot Airbase. This even as there appeared to be discrepancies in Singh's statements.
Earlier on Wednesday, further leads into the investigation of the Pathankot terror attack raised suspicions over Singh having alleged links with the terrorists who attacked Pathankot.
While Singh has maintained that he has been a regular to the Panj Pir Dargah, shrine keeper Som has claimed that he had never seen him before at the place. In a startling revelation, Som claimed that Singh made a phone call to him at around 8:30 PM on December 31 to keep the shrine open as he would be visiting. When he resisted claiming that it was already late and it was time to close the shrine, the SP allegedly forced and ordered Som to keep it open.
He also added that the Verma visited the shrine twice on the same day. He had never been to the shrine earlier, Som claimed.
Singh drove off from the shrine at 9:30 PM and took two hours to cover the distance of 10 kms, which generally takes 15 minutes during the night.
There is a suspicion that the SP might have played a crucial role in the Pathankot attacks as it is believed that he could have also provided logistical support to the terrorists. There is suspicion over his late night visit to the Panj Pir dargah as there was already a terror alert in the area and the SP went unarmed to such an isolated area.
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