Salwinder Singh involved in drug racket, is involved with terror too?

Readers would remember when Pathankot terrorist attack occurred and the role of Gurdaspur SP Salwinder Singh came under limelight ; I had written in this  very column that Salwinder Singh is somehow involved in this attack. My guess was right. Salwinder Singh was involved in the drug smuggling across the border. It has been clear in his six-day interrogation in the NIA headquarters. Due to greed his vehicle went into the  hands of  the terrorists and they proceeded uninterruptedly because of the blue beacon on the vehicle. Salwinder’s involvement is now heading towards final stage. The decision to undergo polygraph test means that concerned person is not only a suspect but has not been cooperating with the investigation agencies trying to unearth the nefarious plot.. Investigating officers also believe that they have got such inputs from several sources that Salwinder Singh is linked with the drug racket. He used to help in crossing the consignment of drugs coming from Pakistan, hiding the consignment for some time and then forwarding the same, for which he was paid handsomely. At times he was given diamond jewellery in lieu of the money. The only reason for taking jeweller Rajesh Verma was that he used to identify the diamond on the spot and quote the price. Investigating NIA officers suspect that jeweller Rajesh Verma (who was driving then) slowed the vehicle mistakenly identifying the terrorists as drug smugglers.  Taking this advantage, terrorists got hold of them this easily. That is why the terrorists didn’t kill them. Besides Rajesh Verma, two more jewellers are also believed to be involved in this syndicate. Salwinder used to take help from his two cooks and two or three local people also. Besides big drug businessmen, small paddlers were also sought for help. It’s also being confirmed that Salwinder along with his cook Madan Gopal and jeweller Rajesh Verma had gone to the shrine in the Baniyal area on 31^st December night just for the deal. NIA has interrogated Salwinder along with the cook and the priest of the shrine face-to-face. Statements of Salwinder do not match them. Not only this, electronic evidences mobilized about their activities too don’t match with the statement. Like Salwinder insists on visiting the shrine at nine pm  while his vehicle was seen at a toll plaza at half past ten at night. The way to the shrine via this toll plaza takes one hour. Besides this, Salwinder is unable to give a solid reply for taking such a long route in return while it was late enough? Salwinder had gone to the shrine in Baniyal area on 31^st December night just for the deal. He had to receive the payment for the previous consignment and help cross the fresh consignment. But the people came happened to be terrorists instead of the drug mafia people. Salwinder has admitted nothing so far. Either he twists the questions of the interrogating officers or doesn’t reply. Why did he take a cook and a jeweller with him instead of his security and driver in border area in so late at night? Salwinder has not answered to this question so far. Lie detector test of Salwinder has been completed on Tuesday. NIA may also get the lie detector test of Salwinder’s cook and the priest of the shrine and Rajesh Verma, if necessary. Let’s see if the lie detector test succeeds in exposing the real story of Salwinder Singh’s involvement in the Pathankot Airbase attack?

-        Anil Narendra