Nagrota attack: NIA hunts for vehicle used to ferry militants
Tribune News Service
Jammu, December 24
Even a fortnight after taking over the investigation of the Nagrota attack in which seven Indian Army personnel, including two officers were killed, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is still shooting in the dark to find the missing links.
The investigating agency is trying to trace the vehicle used in ferrying the militants to the attack site on November 29. So far it has not been able to locate it despite having its details.
Sources said the NIA had come to know that a passenger vehicle was used by the militants to reach the spot but its registration papers were not in order. “The vehicle has been sold by the original owner to a person belonging to Poonch district six years ago but he didn’t transfer the papers,” said the sources.
Questioning of the original owner did not yield much result. “The NIA is trying to trace the current owner and the vehicle,” the sources added.
On November 29, three heavily armed militants had stormed an Army unit in Kour Jagir near Baloni nallah in the Nagrota area of Jammu district, three kilometres from 16 Corps headquarters, and killed seven Army personnel. All three militants were eliminated in the day-long operation.
After the attack, the NIA took over the investigation of the case from the J&K Police on December 7.
During the course of the investigation, the NIA had picked up family members of a businessman of the Vijaypur area of Samba district. However, it set them free after questioning them for a few days.
“The NIA hasn’t so far made any formal arrest regarding the case and the investigation is still inthe infancy stage,” the sources added.
