Pathankot: Terrorists crossed border near river Ujj, says NIA

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency ( NIA) investigators suspect that the terrorists responsible for the attack on an air base entered India near river Ujj on the international border on December 31 night and stayed for a day near Khooni Nala, a drain adjoining the river.

According to preliminary probe, the four terrorists are believed to have spent time — 4 am on December 31 to 7 pm on January 1 — near the border by hiding in the bushes. The riverine at Ujj is a rain-water depository and remains dry during this time of the year, said an official.

It may be recalled that the Dinanagar attackers in July 2015 also took this route. The probe team also found two shoe prints, suspected to be those of the militants from one of the wheat fields, had the markings of ‘ EPCOT’, suggesting Pakistan’s role in the attack as the company is one of the largest manufacturers of leather shoes in Pakistan.

Investigators found that the taxi driver Ikagar Singh drove the four terrorists from a nearby area of Khooni Nala in Bamial sector at 9.30 pm on January 1. Singh was later found murdered near Kohlian village.

NIA suspects Singh, who received a call from a Pak number, was lured into receiving them at the border for easy money. He later discovered the four were militants and tried to protest before being killed.

It has also appeared during the initial investigations that the militants drove Singh’s vehicle for nearly five km, but couldn’t take it further as it was damaged. The four then walked till the main road near Kohlian village and saw a vehicle approaching, which belonged to Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh, who was overpowered.