Miss Alone
Prime VIP
As investigators rummage through leads and trails of the audacious Pathankot attack, Pawan Sharma and Aseem Bassi look at the mysterious and missing pieces of the terror plot that was hatched in Pakistan and continues to puzzle security agencies.
Groups of terrorists: Two or One
Security agencies have almost concluded that terrorists were in two separate groups. Yet what is baffling is the mystery how the two terrorists travelled and sneaked inside the air force base in view of evidence—based on first person account of Rajesh Verma who survived throat slit and SP Salwinder Singh -- that they were waylaid by only four ultras.
The four in one group theory has been settled by the versions of police officer and his cook.
But, security sleuths don’t rule out the possibility that two ultras could be on the loose still. The combination of two in first group and four in second group is baffling the security experts. How the group of four ultras reached Pathankot is clear from killing of taxi driver Ikagar Singh and the carjack of SP. There is not a shred of evidence so far to indicate how the first group of two travelled up to Pathankot and who helped them.
Both the terror groups entered airbase together
There is no clarity whether the six terrorists sneaked inside the air force facility together or in separate two groups. Mystery also surrounds if both the terror groups were in touch with each other.
Security officials say both the groups had one wireless set each to establish contact. One set of the walkie-talkie was recovered from the abandoned vehicle of the abducted Punjab police officer who was mysteriously let off. Another similar set of walkie-talkie was found from the killed ultras by the army.
Sources say the terrorists entered the air base climbing back boundary wall of the air base that has barbed wire. It is learnt that one grove –ostensibly that of ultra--was found entangled with the barbed wire.
“It is likely that they took the back wall to enter the Base. More than this, where did the remaining two terrorists came from needs to be cracked. But nothing can be said at this time,” a source said.
Why SP was let off?
That’s another mysterious thread of this puzzle. SP, police officers say, was let off due to his religion, while the cook due to his age. After dumping SP and his cook with their hands tied on the back, the ultras realised later that the person they had let off was SP as a call came on SP phone and the caller said it was a phone of SP sahib. Then they went back to search him. But SP and his cook had fled. The amazing statement of SP to his interrogators that he was let-off by the ultras “as they did not want to harm him due to his religion” has bounced more questions than answers.
From where they crossed the international border
How the terrorists made an entry into the Country’s frontline defence establishment is in the realm of speculation. Even as the BSF has been maintaining that the terrorists did not infiltrate from Bamial sector, the traces of mud inside the abandoned taxi of killed driver Ikagar Singh it looks like they used the riverine route. Which path they used to reach this side of the border is going to lead many red-faced.
Reports are doing the rounds that terrorists used the Bamial sector to reach the air force Base. It is also not known if ultras had any local support. Though, the Defence Minister had told that the Terrorists were heavily armed, highly motivated and on a suicide mission, the question bothering everybody is if they had local support as they moved through villages and later to the air base.
How terrorists carried back breaking load of ammunition
Another question that foxes the security agencies is that how the terrorists managed to carry so much ammunition and weapons with them. Whether they used porters? As per the version of Verma backpack ultras were carrying were very heavy. Thus far there is no clarity whether there was any local support.
Groups of terrorists: Two or One
Security agencies have almost concluded that terrorists were in two separate groups. Yet what is baffling is the mystery how the two terrorists travelled and sneaked inside the air force base in view of evidence—based on first person account of Rajesh Verma who survived throat slit and SP Salwinder Singh -- that they were waylaid by only four ultras.
The four in one group theory has been settled by the versions of police officer and his cook.
But, security sleuths don’t rule out the possibility that two ultras could be on the loose still. The combination of two in first group and four in second group is baffling the security experts. How the group of four ultras reached Pathankot is clear from killing of taxi driver Ikagar Singh and the carjack of SP. There is not a shred of evidence so far to indicate how the first group of two travelled up to Pathankot and who helped them.
Both the terror groups entered airbase together
There is no clarity whether the six terrorists sneaked inside the air force facility together or in separate two groups. Mystery also surrounds if both the terror groups were in touch with each other.
Security officials say both the groups had one wireless set each to establish contact. One set of the walkie-talkie was recovered from the abandoned vehicle of the abducted Punjab police officer who was mysteriously let off. Another similar set of walkie-talkie was found from the killed ultras by the army.
Sources say the terrorists entered the air base climbing back boundary wall of the air base that has barbed wire. It is learnt that one grove –ostensibly that of ultra--was found entangled with the barbed wire.
“It is likely that they took the back wall to enter the Base. More than this, where did the remaining two terrorists came from needs to be cracked. But nothing can be said at this time,” a source said.
Why SP was let off?
That’s another mysterious thread of this puzzle. SP, police officers say, was let off due to his religion, while the cook due to his age. After dumping SP and his cook with their hands tied on the back, the ultras realised later that the person they had let off was SP as a call came on SP phone and the caller said it was a phone of SP sahib. Then they went back to search him. But SP and his cook had fled. The amazing statement of SP to his interrogators that he was let-off by the ultras “as they did not want to harm him due to his religion” has bounced more questions than answers.
From where they crossed the international border
How the terrorists made an entry into the Country’s frontline defence establishment is in the realm of speculation. Even as the BSF has been maintaining that the terrorists did not infiltrate from Bamial sector, the traces of mud inside the abandoned taxi of killed driver Ikagar Singh it looks like they used the riverine route. Which path they used to reach this side of the border is going to lead many red-faced.
Reports are doing the rounds that terrorists used the Bamial sector to reach the air force Base. It is also not known if ultras had any local support. Though, the Defence Minister had told that the Terrorists were heavily armed, highly motivated and on a suicide mission, the question bothering everybody is if they had local support as they moved through villages and later to the air base.
How terrorists carried back breaking load of ammunition
Another question that foxes the security agencies is that how the terrorists managed to carry so much ammunition and weapons with them. Whether they used porters? As per the version of Verma backpack ultras were carrying were very heavy. Thus far there is no clarity whether there was any local support.
