NIA probes Punjab drug mafia link to Pathankot attackers

Sources in NIA told Millennium Post that the agency suspects that drug smugglers operating in Punjab with the connivance of state officials might have helped the terrorists sneak into the country. 

“It is highly possible that the negligence of Punjab officials and nexus between drug smugglers and terrorists may have allowed this horror to take place,” said a senior NIA official, who wished not to be named.

Speaking on the next course of action, the official said seeing how things have unfolded so far the agency will now have to take help from multiple central agencies as this attack involves multiple angles, from terrorism to drug money. 

“The agency is of the opinion that drug smugglers’ role was very crucial in the whole operation. To connect the new emerging dots the NIA will ask Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) to share the details of their sources and records of smugglers,” said the official.

Sources also said that the role of State officials was under the scanner as the agency found some inconsistencies in Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh’s version during his day-long questioning.

Speaking on the infiltration the official said that the agency will respond only after they get BSF’s report submitted to the Ministry of Home affairs on how the terrorists breached the border and reached the airbase and look into lapses which allowed easy passage. 

The NIA has already registered three cases in connection to the deadly terror strike, including the murder of a taxi driver by terrorists, kidnapping of the SP and the attack on the IAF base.