The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday registered three cases at the agency headquarters here and took over the probe into the conspiracy by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed suspected to be behind the deadly strike at Pathankot airbase and related incidents.
A 20-member team of NIA led by an Inspector General rank officer has been camping at Pathankot from Saturday to supervise the on-going investigations. An officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police has been appointed as the Chief Investigating Officer of these cases.
The cases were initially registered by local police station in Pathankot and were transferred and handed over to the NIA following a Union Home Ministry notification on Monday. NIA is mandated with the task to investigate terror cases with inter-State or international ramifications.
The three cases registered at Police Station Narot Jaimal Singh, Pathankot include abduction of SP-rank police officer on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, killing of private taxi driver Ikagar Singh and the terrorist attack on the Air Force Station at Pathankot, which as per the FIR, began on January 2.
The NIA suspects all the three incidents to be the handiwork of the same group of terrorists.
NIA Inspector General Sanjeev Kumar Singh told The Pioneer, “The cases were transferred and handed over to the NIA. We have registered three cases under relevant provisions of law.”
The anti-terror agency registered the case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Arms Act against unknown persons, officials said.
The NIA will take over the gathered evidence and custody of the bodies of terrorists once the Army and NSG give clearance that the Pathankot counter-terror operation is over and render the installation as safe, the sources said.
The NIA will probe infiltration of the terrorists into India, killing of taxi driver Ikagar Singh, kidnapping of Superintendent of Police-rank officer of Punjab Police, who was later released and entry into the IAF campus, officials said, adding the possibility of any local support or an insider’s job will also be investigated.
SP Salwinder Singh, who was shunted out from Gurdaspur to take charge as Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police, will also be questioned about the terrorists who had hijacked his vehicle. He is already facing charges of alleged breach of discipline.
The investigators will seek to ascertain the conspiracy that was hatched on Pakistani soil by the terrorists and their possible nexus with the state agencies of Pakistan. The NIA may also question or seek custodial interrogation of sacked IAF personnel Ranjith KK, a leading Air Craftman (lAC) with IAF posted at Bhatinda, who was arrested by Delhi Police for allegedly supplying information to ISI, the sources said.