New Delhi: Before carrying out the terror attack at the Pathankot IAF base on January 2, a group of 5-6 terrorists are believed to have abducted Gurdaspur Superintendent of Police Salwinder Singh, his cook Madan Gopal and his friend Rajesh Verma late on December 31 while they were coming back from a trip.
India TV managed to track down Singh who claimed to have been roughed up before being let-off by the terrorists. According to Singh, the militants perhaps did not know that he was a senior police official.
Singh further claims that it was due to his timely tip-off that intelligence agencies were able to make necessary arrangements and prevent a casualty which could have been much bigger.
In conversation with India TV, Salwinder recounted his ordeal with the terrorists hours before the attack on the Pathankot air base. Here is a list of 10 revelations made by Singh to India TV:
1. The ordeal for Salwinder Singh and two others started at Kolian area where he was signalled to stop by five men dressed in Army fatigue and were carrying AK-47 assault rifles.
2. Militants already had another vehicle which they had obtained after murdering a taxi driver.
3. The militants dragged Singh out his SUV and sandwiched him between the front and middle seats. The militants then tied their limbs, taped their eyes and gagged his mouth.
4. They took his phone and made calls to Pakistan. Terrorists were speaking in Punjabi and Urdu.
5. Singh revealed that the terrorists had GPRS with them.
6. Salwinder Singh and his friend were beaten up by the terrorists before being left behind.
7. Militants took away SUV in which Singh and his friend were travelling. It is believed that terrorists travelled some distance between the point of infiltration and the IAF base using SP's car.
8. Abductors came back in his Mahindra XUV with a blue beacon, to look for him and his cook after both were dumped near a drain in a forest area.
9. Terrorists had not realised that they had kidnapped a senior police official. Singh, who managed to free himself first, freed his friend and ran out of the forest.
10. Salwinder later hid at a home in a nearby village and made a call to SSP Gurdaspur.
