Even as there is no trace of a Pathankot-bound taxi (HP 01D 2440) hired from Gaggal in Kangra district eight days ago, the body of the driver, Vijay Kumar, has been found in Kangra. The photos of the three suspects, caught on CCTV cameras at Gaggal Chowk, are with the police and security personnel.
The Delhi Police sounded an alert on the missing taxi this morning and released the photos of suspects to the media. It may be recalled that taxi driver Ikaagar Singh was found murdered hours before the Pathankot air base attack earlier this month.
Security in Punjab and Chandigarh has been further beefed up in view of French President Francois Hollande's visit to Chandigarh on Sunday.
Murdered taxi driver Vijay Kumar belonged to Gurdaspur but was residing in Gaggal near Kangra with his maternal uncle, who also runs a taxi.
RK Bakshi, Pathankot SSP, said the three suspects spoke in Punjabi. They had hired the taxi in Pathankot, as had been confirmed by the taxi union. No police check post had any record about the stolen car, the officer said.
Sapna, wife of the deceased driver, told the police that she called up her husband several times on January 14 but there was no response. The next day, Vijay's maternal uncle, Vipin Kumar, approached the Gaggal police. A search was launched and Vijay's body found was near Kotla bridge on the Kangra-Pathankot road on January 20.
A security alert has also been sounded across Jammu and Kashmir. Agencies have sealed the state’s border with Himachal Pradesh at Lakhanpur and more personnel have been deployed to guard the newly constructed cable-stayed bridge on Ranjeet Sagar Lake.
In Kathua, the police have put up additional check posts along the highway. “Security was already tight in the border areas in view of the Republic Day celebrations, but the taxi hijack in Pathankot has heightened the alert. We have sealed all routes leading to Jammu and Kashmir,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Neeva Jain.
