Owner of car abandoned in Pathankot by 'terrorists' traced: Punjab DGP

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Suresh Arora on Saturday said the owner of the car which was used by suspected 'terrorists' and found abandoned near Bamiyal in the district had been traced to Jammu. "The car owner has been traced. The person belongs to Jammu," he told media persons here.

Arora said the information about the suspicious movement of four suspected 'terrorists' in Pathankot's Saidipur village on Friday night, which prompted the state police to launch a massive search operation, had been shared with security forces including BSF, Army, and Air Force, and combing operations were also held.

In reply to a question, Punjab DGP said, "The car might have been used for smuggling. I have spoken to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Pathankot, in this regard. A probe is being carried out. The truths will be known in due course of time."

Residents of Saidipur village claimed to have spotted suspicious movement of around four people, suspected to be 'terrorists.' Police have also recovered an abandoned white Alto car, which was found around 25 km away from Pathankot, near Bamiyal area. The car was also spotted by the villagers.

According to police, Balbir Singh, a resident from Saidipur village, saw three to four suspicious men on Friday night. He first informed the village sarpanch in this regard. Then the police were told about the incident, which immediately rushed to the spot and began the search operation after cordoning off the area.

The terror attack on Nirankari Bhawan in Rajasansi area took place on November 13 in Amritsar district of Punjab in which 3 people were killed and nearly 20 others were injured,

It is worth mentioning that last week the Punjab Police launched massive search operations after its counter-intelligence wing informed that some Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists reportedly entered Delhi from the state.

In 2016, terrorists had attacked Pathankot Airbase after snatching the car of a police officer. Seven people had been killed in the attack. Earlier in July 2015 too, terrorists had attacked Dinanagar town in the neighbouring district of Gurdaspur district. It is noteworthy that Saidipur village where four suspected 'terrorists' were spotted is just 13 km away from Pakistan border.