Punjab SP says his tip helped in prevention of major attack

Two terrorists of the suspected group of six might have entered Pathankot air base before a Punjab Police SP was kidnapped by them and much before an alert was sounded about their presence in the area. He said that the terrorists were wearing military jackets and threatened to kill him and the driver if they did not comply with them. “What could I have done against 4 to 5 people who were armed”, he said. “They could be Pakistani militants”, DIG (Border range) Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh said, while informing that the assailants were four in number and wearing army uniform.

The SP said his sports utility vehicle was stopped and he and two others abducted around 11.30 pm on Thursday night (December 31).

“They snatched our telephones and tied up our hands and legs…taped our mouths”, Mr Singh said today. The third and the main case, registered at Police Station Division No. 2 Pathankot, relates to the terrorist attack on the Air Force Station at Pathankot.

Superintendent of Police P Salwinder Singh’s SUV is believed to have been used by the terrorists to avoid detection of the Jammu-Pathankot highway. When one of the terrorists accidentally pressed the hooter, they realised the vehicle was not an ordinary one.

Sources said the terrorists had earlier taken an Innova vehicle from taxi driver Ikagar Singh who they killed near the Kathlor bridge.

Salwinder said: “They came back to kill me but by then I had freed my hands and moved from the spot”.

They took both my mobiles, he recounted. The gunmen took fellow passenger Rajesh Verma, a jeweller, with them.

“I am a victim in the terror incident and I am being wrongly accused of misconduct in my personal life. I later got to know they let Rajesh go after a while”, Salwinder explained.

When questioned on not taking enough security with him even though there were reports of possible attack, Singh said, “I had gone to a religious place and hence did not take my gun along”. I then called up my superiors and gave them the information on my abduction. “They could have done big damage had I not told about my abduction”, Salwinder told the media here.

On investigating agencies questioning him, he said, “Truth has come out”. Five terrorists have been killed so far and the operation to neutralise the other terrorists hiding in the base is ongoing.

When asked why he was released unharmed, Salwinder said the terrorists took him to be a commoner as he was in civil dress.