The two numbers called during the Pathankot attack have been revealed to be from Pakistan. Phone calls were made to these numbers before the terrorists entered India.
According to Intelligence Bureau official, one of the numbers may belong to the mother of one of the attackers, while the second belongs to one of the handlers, who the terrorists referred to as ‘ustaad’.
What is confirmed by the Indian investigators, and will be used to build a case against the six terrorists, is that the terrorists used the phones of the allegedly kidnapped victims, SP Salwinder Singh, Rajesh Verma and Madan Gopal.
On December 31, a call to +92 300097212 was made at 9:12 pm from the phone of taxi driver Ikaagar Singh, who the terrorists killed, reports The Times of India.
In one of the calls, ‘ustaad’ is heard screaming at the terrorists for the delay in reaching the airbase.
Four incoming calls were received on Ikaagar’s phone while one outgoing was made from his. Intelligence officials report that the terrorist only gave them a missed call to their handlers so they could be reached.
A senior central agency officer, who is analysing the calls, confirmed that Ikaagar did not speak to any Pakistani number. “On this number, in fact, the terrorist is heard telling the attacker to kill the taxi driver,” the official told TOI.
A big source of worry for law-enforcement agencies is the concept of ‘missed calls’, as it has been a common trick of terrorists to remain untraceable.
Ikaagar had made one call to his cousin Harpreet Kaur before his body was found in the abandoned Innova.
The last call was made by one of the terrorists to his mother in the middle of attack from the mobile phone of jeweller Rajesh Verma. The call was made to +92-3017775253 at around 8.30 am, five hours after the attack was launched on the airbase.
The last phonecall was made to one of the terrorists’ mother to say that he was in India.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that swift action would be taken against the Pathankot terrorists. The revelatyion of the location of the numbers has bolstered India’s position, and will likely put further pressure on Pakistan to take action.
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