Pathankot, Dinanagar terror attacks similar, says NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now found similarities between the Pathankot attack and last year’s Dinanagar terror strike even as it is planning to confront a senior Punjab Police officer with his cook and a shrine caretaker to get a clear picture on the attack.

The NIA has questioned the cook of the police officer Salwinder Singh, who has claimed to have been abducted by terrorists, and the caretaker of the shrine they visited before the terror attack.

During investigations, sources said, there were similarities in the way attack was carried out in Pathankot airbase and a police station in Gurdaspur’s Dinanagar. In Dinanagar, three terrorists in army fatigues had attacked a moving bus and stormed a police station.
The NIA continued its questioning of Singh for the fourth day on Thursday, whom the investigators claimed was frequently changing his statements.

Investigators are now planning to confront cook Madan Gopal and shrine caretaker Somraj with Singh to call the bluff. Though Singh may not have direct involvement in the terror attack, the NIA suspects that Singh might be part of a smugglers’ network and might have inadvertently helped the terrorists.

Singh had claimed that he, Gopal and his jewller friend Rajesh Verma were abducted while returning from the shrine. He had also claimed that he was a regular at the shrine, which was disputed by Somraj. The shrine caretaker had said that Singh visited the shrine for the first time on the day he was abducted.

The shrine is located a few kilometres from Bamiyal, the village from where the terrorists were suspected to have infiltrated into India before mounting the attack.

Asked about Pakistan’s demand for inspecting Pathankot airbase, Home Ministry sources said unless certain formalities are completed, Islamabad cannot do much. They said there is no information on whether any criminal case was registered against the outfit believed to be responsible for the Pathankot attack.

“Under what law they can be allowed. They will have to take conginsance for which they will have to file an FIR. Has they done it? They can come to collect evidence while focussing on investigation into how the attack was hatched in that country,” sources said.