Reasi terror attack: Passing car drivers saw waiting militants, finds probe

The case has been transferred from the local police to the National Investigation Agency on the directions of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Hours after the incident, a team of senior officers of NIA, headed by an IG rank officer, visited the crime scene and the forensic team of NIA also visited the site to lift evidence. In view of the NIA expertise in handling terror cases, it was decided to hand over the investigation to the agency to probe the larger conspiracy and dismantle the whole network,” a senior official of the MHA said.

Following the attack, police formed several teams and asked them to trace all vehicle drivers who had taken the same road that day. “During investigation, one of the teams located a driver of a private vehicle who said he saw a man, wearing black clothes and a red bandana, standing on the road,” a source said.

With the help of the driver, police prepared a sketch of the suspect and shared it with all police stations and Central intelligence agencies.

“After visiting the crime scene, we found two specific spots in different directions from where the attackers had fired and prima facie it appears that they were helped by a local resident with logistical support,” the source said.

Another source said since it’s a known fact that all tourist buses in the area carry pilgrims, the militants waited for the bus they targeted. “We also suspect that the militants infiltrated into India from across the Line of Control and are still hiding in the heavily dense forests with the help of their local source… Bullet shells recovered from the spot suggest an M16 rifle was used by the attackers,” the source said.

Citing the statement of one of the survivors, the source said the victim saw one of the attackers wearing a mask and the militants opened fire once they saw the bus. They first targeted the driver and did not stop firing even after he lost control of the bus which fell into a gorge.