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NIA to ask Salwinder Singh to take lie-detector test
Convinced that Punjab police officer Salwinder Singh is hiding many things from investigators, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the Pathankot attack, will ask him go for a lie detector
Convinced that Punjab police officer Salwinder Singh is hiding many things from investigators, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the Pathankot attack, will ask him go for a lie detector test, sources told HT.
“Salwinder Singh has three mobile phones. One mobile phone has two SIM cards. So basically he was carrying four numbers. His cook or helper Madan Gopal has two mobile phones. His jeweller friend Rajesh Verma had only one phone. Why a superintendent of police rank official would need four mobile numbers,” said a senior home ministry official requesting anonymity.
The official added that the NIA would ask him to submit to a lie detector or polygraph test. A polygraph test cannot be conducted without his concurrence.
“We will ask him to agree for it. Very soon he will be formally summoned to Delhi go for polygraph test,” said the official.
Read: NIA to bring Gurdaspur SP to Delhi for questioning
Counter terror officials say the terrorists that abducted Salwinder when he was travelling along with Verma and Gopal, used only Verma’s phone to make phone calls to Pakistan. In all, terrorists made or received 24 phone calls.
“There have been 11 calls from Pakistani numbers – incoming as well as outgoing, on Verma’s number. Terrorists didn’t use any of Salwinder or Gopal’s numbers,” said a counter terror official requesting anonymity.
Investigators have found 13 Pakistani calls – incoming and outgoing – on Ekagra Singh’s number, the taxi driver whose Innova car was captured by the terrorists on night of December 30. He was killed by the terrorists.
“We have found no evidence of his involvement with terrorists. All Pakistani calls on his number seem to be of the time when terrorists had captured his vehicle,” said the counter terror official.
The Epcot shoe marks recovered from Bamial, a border village nearly 40 kilometres away from Pathakot, have been sent for Central Forensic Science Laboratory in Chandigarh for examination.
Read: Why was Gurdaspur SP let off? The many mysteries of Pathankot attack
