New Delhi: It’s been two weeks now but intelligence agencies or security forces have still not succeeded in tracking down the terrorists involved in the massacre of 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country, at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22.
Now, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has sought assistance from all tourists, visitors and local people who might have any more information, photographs or videos relating to the Pahalgam terror attack. Earlier, sketches of three suspects were released by the NIA and a reward of Rs 20 lakh announced for any information about them. However, these led to no fruitful results.
The NIA has now shared two numbers to which any information about the terrorists can be shared. In an appeal issued on Wednesday through its official website and social media handles, NIA has urged all people with information to call up the agency on the mobile number 9654958816 and/or on landline number – 01124368800 and provide their personal details and also the details of the kind of information or inputs they want to share.
A senior NIA official will then connect with the caller and arrange for the relevant information/photos/videos etc to be shared with the agency.
“Till now, the NIA has been trying to get information through the police. It has now realised that many people would not like to share information with the police in faer of their identities getting revealed. Now, the agency wants to deal with the situation directly,” an official said.
There is also a possibility of the terrorists having slipped into some other state while all attention was on the Line of Control (LoC) to prevent them from crossing into Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Recently, a Chennai to Colombo flight was searched after information was received that one of the passengers was a possible terror suspect.
The agency already possesses a sizeable number of photographs and videos showing various aspects of the attack and is examining them. Sharing of the numbers will help expand the search.
“People may share anything. Doesn’t matter if a photograph or video clip turns out to be of no use. In such cases, there is every possibility of a face showing up somewhere or someone remembering a certain person. Any information will be considered helpful, just as the video inadvertently recorded by a zip liner. The NIA wants to go through every piece of evidence, however, small,” the official added.
