NIA quizzes SP-rank officer Salwinder Singh
BY M Post Bureau12 Jan 2016 10:20 PM GMT
M Post Bureau12 Jan 2016 10:20 PM GMT
Senior Punjab police officer Salwinder Singh was on Monday questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the terror strike at Pathankot Air Force base as suspicion arose after several contradictions in his statements during his interrogation.
The NIA, which took over the case immediately after terrorists struck the IAF base during the intervening night of January 1 and 2, had summoned Singh as he was kidnapped by terrorists during the New Year night before they barged into the air base.
Singh, an SP-rank officer posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police after he was removed as SP (headquarters) Gurdaspur, had allegedly given contradictory statements about his kidnapping and sequences of events preceding and succeeding the hostage event, official sources said. The NIA has also summoned his cook Madan Gopal for questioning and if need be the two would be confronted, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
The NIA has recorded statement of the caretaker of the shrine, which Singh had said that he had visited with Gopal and his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma, who was left bleeding with a cut below his throat by the terrorists after abducting the other two. The caretaker, who is related to the cook, had told the sleuths that Gopal and Verma had come on the morning of December 31 and again in the evening and he was not aware of the reason for his visit to the shrine twice, sources said. NIA had recorded his statement in Pathankot, but he has been asked to come on January 13 as his statement was also contradictory, sources said.
Meanwhile, a Home Ministry spokesperson said NIA has moved to secure a Black Notice from Interpol to ascertain identity of four bodies of terrorists who attacked Pathankot air base. The NIA has also sent some body parts to CFSL to ascertain if they belong to the other two terrorists involved in the 80-hour gun battle with security forces which left seven personnel dead, sources said.
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