Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 13: The National Investigating Agency (NIA) today shifted Pakistani militant Mohammad Naved Yaqub to New Delhi to subject him to advance scientific tests including DNA and lie-detection to establish his Pakistani identity to nail the neighbouring country’s propaganda that he was not their national and get more truth from him like the targets assigned to him, names of his contacts etc.
In a related development, NIA Director General Sharad Kumar and IGP SK Singh today visited site of August 5 encounter at Narsu near Samroli in Udhampur district on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway for on spot investigations before Kumar completed his two days visit to Jammu and returned to New Delhi along with Singh and Chief Investigating Officer of the case Atul Goel, SSP.
Some of the NIA officers would continue to camp at Jammu and regularly visit Udhampur, Srinagar and Anantnag in connection with the investigations and arrests of more accused.
Official sources told the Excelsior that the NIA wanted to establish beyond any doubt that Naved was a Pakistani national and, for the purpose, it was likely to go for his DNA test and seek blood samples from his father, a resident of Faisalabad, Pakistan through appropriate diplomatic channels. Naved’s father had admitted that the militant was his son and had blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) for trying to eliminate him. However, soon after Naved’s father spoke to an India newspaper, Pakistan army had stopped local journalists from meeting him.
Sources said apart from DNA test, the NIA also proposed to go for lie-detector test and other connected tests of Naved in Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) of Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) in New Delhi to ascertain complete truth following reports that the Pakistani militant was frequently changing his statements including route of his infiltrations and identity of the contacts.
“The NIA proposed to go for all available scientific means of investigations to establish his Pakistani identity and prove that he was involved in August 5 terror attack including killings of the BSF jawans so that death penalty like Mumbai blasts accused Ajmal Kasab is sought for him,’’ sources said, adding that there were more means of scientific investigations and psychological tests available in New Delhi than Jammu and that was the prime reason for his shifting from Jammu to New Delhi in a special BSF plane this morning.
The NIA, which had taken 14 days remand of Naved on Tuesday, shifted him to New Delhi under tight security arrangements after taking him from Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) to Jammu in bullet proof vehicle to Technical Airport from where he was flown to New Delhi in special BSF plane by the NIA team headed by Atul Goel.
Sources said Naved has during his interrogation admitted his direct connections with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which clearly established involvement of Pakistan in the attack.
“We have lot of information about ISI and Pakistani connections of Naved and his slain associate Momen. The ISI and Pakistan involvement in the attack is beyond any doubt. The ISI got the attack executed through Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit,’’ sources said, adding that some more contacts of Momen and Naved including the militants, financiers and Over Ground Workers (OGWs), who had facilitated August 5 attack, were under the NIA radar and some more arrests could be made in next few days.
According to sources, Naved has admitted that he and Momen had been asked to carry out the attack and escape. This direction was issued to them as the ISI wanted them to carry out more attacks on security forces and Amarnath pilgrims. While Naved had managed to escape from the spot before being arrested, Momen was killed by the BSF jawans.
Sources said before shifting Naved to New Delhi, the NIA got in touch with Delhi Police, which deployed commandos outside the NIA office after which the Pakistani militant was shifted there.
Meanwhile, NIA Director General Sharad Kumar accompanied by IG SK Singh today visited Narsu near Samroli in Udhampur district along Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, where Momen and Naved had struck on August 5 targeting BSF bus on way from Jammu to Srinagar killing two BSF jawans and injuring 13 others. While Momen was killed in retaliatory firing by the BSF, Naved had fled towards the mountains and was captured by the civilians, who had already been rewarded and recruited in police as constable and follower.
The two top NIA officials were at Narsu for about one and half hours and were briefed on the attack by DIG Udhampur-Reasi range Surinder Gupta. They got detailed briefing on the attack and the aftermath including arrest of Naved.
Later, Kumar and Singh retuned to Jammu and flew back to New Delhi to join interrogation of Naved.
It may be mentioned here that NIA has already taken the case diary, recoveries made from slain and arrested Pakistani militants and all other related documents from police to carry out investigations of the case after the Union Home Ministry has handed over investigations to the NIA.
Sources said despite shifting Naved to New Delhi, the NIA would keep some of its officials at Jammu, who would conduct raids in assistance with Jammu and Kashmir Police to nab contact of Naved on his disclosures. Eight harbourers of Momen and Naved have already been arrested from South Kashmir.
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