‘Azhar and brother not among suspects held’

NEW DELHI: Pakistan has detained some of the suspects in connection with the Pathankot attack probe, investigators from the country told their Indian counterparts on Wednesday. “More details about detentions cannot be shared at this moment,” said NIA chief Sharad Kumar.

But sources said Masood Azhar, chief of JeM, the outfit allegedly behind the attack, or his brother Rauf are not among those detained by the authorities.

On day three of the interaction between India and Pakistan, the JIT made a request to the NIA for sharing evidence with it in order to prosecute those behind the attack in Pakistan, said Kumar. Following the request, NIA sleuths shared with them calls details of two Indian mobile numbers from which the Pathankot attackers called their handlers, allegedly belonging to terror outfit JeM.

“On Thursday, the JIT will start recording statements of Indian witnesses. The process is likely to take at least two days,” said Kumar. Punjab SP Salwinder Singh, his cook Madan Gopal, jeweller friend Rajesh Verma are among those lined up for examination. The NIA also played a crucial call intercept for the JIT members in which one of the attackers discussed details of the attack with a handler in Pakistan. “The request for playing the intercept came from the JIT,” said an Indian investigator.

NIA sources said the JIT handed them over a four-page wish list and in turn, the Indian investigators handed them over a wish list of around 10 pages. “We have complied with most of the evidence the JIT had asked for. We have given them seizure memos, postmortem reports of those killed in the attack, DNA samples culled from dead bodies of attackers, call details of driver Ekagra Singh, who was killed by the attackers and jeweler Rajesh Verma. Their phones were used by attackers to call handlers in Pakistan,” said Kumar.

The NIA in turn wants voice samples of Azhar, Rauf, details of procurement of clothes, shoes and food packets used by attackers, details of family members of the dead attackers. “As a reciprocal measure, we would like the Pakistan to provide similar kind of access and evidence that they are collecting there,” said NIA IG Sanjeev Kumar.