Tribune News Service,Chandigarh/Jammu, January 22
Even as there is no trace of a Pathankot-bound taxi (HP 01D 2440) hired from Gaggal in Kangra district eight days ago, the body of the driver, Vijay Kumar, has been found in Kangra. The photos of the three suspects, caught on CCTV cameras at Gaggal Chowk, are with the police and security personnel.The Delhi Police sounded an alert on the missing taxi this morning and released the photos of suspects to the media. It may be recalled that taxi driver Ikaagar Singh was found murdered hours before the Pathankot air base attack earlier this month. Security in Punjab and Chandigarh has been further beefed up in view of French President Francois Hollande’s visit to Chandigarh on Sunday.Murdered taxi driver Vijay Kumar belonged to Gurdaspur but was residing in Gaggal near Kangra with his maternal uncle, who also runs a taxi. RK Bakshi, Pathankot SSP, said the three suspects spoke in Punjabi. They had hired the taxi in Pathankot, as had been confirmed by the taxi union. No police check post had any record about the stolen car, the officer said.Sapna, wife of the deceased driver, told the police that she called up her husband several times on January 14 but there was no response. The next day, Vijay’s maternal uncle, Vipin Kumar, approached the Gaggal police. A search was launched and Vijay’s body found was near Kotla bridge on the Kangra-Pathankot road on January 20. A security alert has also been sounded across Jammu and Kashmir. Agencies have sealed the state’s border with Himachal Pradesh at Lakhanpur and more personnel have been deployed to guard the newly constructed cable-stayed bridge on Ranjeet Sagar Lake.In Kathua, the police have put up additional check posts along the highway. “Security was already tight in the border areas in view of the Republic Day celebrations, but the taxi hijack in Pathankot has heightened the alert. We have sealed all routes leading to Jammu and Kashmir,” said Senior Superintendent of Police Neeva Jain.
BSF moves three more battalions to Punjab
- In the wake of the recent terror attacks in Punjab, the Border Security Force has decided to deploy three additional battalions in the state to boost its strength for guarding the International Border (IB) with Pakistan.
- “At least three battalions from North Bengal, South Bengal and Guwahati are being moved immediately to Punjab on a permanent basis. This is in addition to some other measures being implemented to secure the border,” a senior BSF officer said.
- The BSF’s Punjab Frontier is responsible for peace-time management of the 553-km stretch of the IB falling in the state. The frontier is further divided into four sectors,having three battalions each. — Vijay Mohan
Pathankot-bound taxi’s driver killed
POLICE SAY THE DECEASED HAD SPENT 18 MONTHS IN CHAMBA JAIL IN A DRUG CASE BEFORE BEING ACQUITTED
From page 01 Additional superintendent of police (ASP), Kangra, Vijay Saklani said on Friday that three unidentified men hired Vijay’s taxi, a white Maruti Alto car (HP-01D-2240), on the evening of January 14.
DELHI POLICE TWITTERDelhi Police released images of the suspects and details of the vehicle through its official handle on Twitter.“The taxi left for Pathankot ( about 70 km from Gaggal) around 8.15pm. However, he didn’t return home later that night, after which his uncle filed a ‘missing person’ report,” Saklani said.
“Vijay’s body was found on January 20 in a rivulet near a place called 32 Miles on the Shimla-Pathankot highway, 35 km from the district headquarters at Dharamshala,” said the ASP. He added that the accused probably took the car towards Talwara (Hoshiarpur district) via Jawali.
“We have obtained footage from the CCTV camera installed at the Gaggal chowk in which three men are seen boarding the taxi,” said Saklani, adding that police were enquiring from hotels in McLeodganj whether the trio stayed there.
The police have learnt from other taxi drivers that Vijay had agreed to drop the trio at Pathankot at a relatively low fare.
Taxi driver Rahul Chattani said the three men had asked him to drop them at Chakki bank near Path ankot.“I demanded ` 1,800, but they didn’t agree. They asked another driver, who sought ` 2,000.
It was Vijay who settled for ` 1,500.” Vijay is survived by wife Sapna Devi and daughters Jotu ( 5) and Divanshi ( 1). His mother, Darshana Devi, in whose name the taxi is registered, said, “After he didn’t return home, we tried to contact him on his cellphone number. But our repeated calls went unanswered.”
“Police traced his mobile’s tower location between Jawali and 32 Miles, where his body was found,” said Darshana Devi, who works as an anganwadi worker in Bhaini Mi an Khan village. Vi jay was cremated at Gaggal on Thursday.
STRANGLED TO DEATH
Dr SK Pal, assistant director at the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Dharamshala, said Vijay was strangled to death. “He was killed probably a day before the body was found,” Pal said.
THE DRUG LINK
Kangra SP Abhishek Dular said Vijay had spent 18 months in the Chamba jail in a drug case before being acquitted and released.
Security agencies get caught up in a tussle among themselves
TURF WARS AND RED TAPE
Multi Agency Centre (MAC) functions under Intelligence Bureau (IB). More often, other agencies such as R&AW, Military Intelligence, etc, are reluctant to share information with IB. State police departments don’t share full interrogation reports on time. Lacks personnel strength in analysing intelligence inputs State police forces reluctant to let central agencies into their probes. Most recent example is that of Punjab police denying IB permission to question SP Salwinder Singh, whose car was hijacked by militants. IB finally questioned him at NIA office in Delhi NSG’s weapons and equipment division and operations branch manned by Army officers, who make requests for weapon upgradation with an IPS officer heading provisioning. Army officers often question the technical competence of civilian officers. NSG forwards requests to police modernisation division in home ministry (MHA) headed by IAS and other services. In absence of technical managers, MHA often delays NSG’s requisition files.