The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has transferred the Pulwama terror attack case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), a report in The Indian Express said. A formal order in this regard was received at the NIA headquarters on Tuesday evening. Citing sources, the IE report said that the NIA is likely to file an FIR in the case on Wednesday.
A team of 10 NIA officials is camping in Kashmir since Friday. The team had also visited the terror attack site on Srinagar-Jammu highway last week to collect evidence. The NIA team is being provided assistance by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
The IE report claimed that NIA and local police have been questioning suspects from Pulwama and Awantipora areas to trace the links of the attack. On Tuesday, the NIA had grilled a few suspects on suspicion that they had provided logistical support to the attacker.
An NIA official said that Pulwama and Awantipora are two areas in Kashmir where JeM has large presence and its activities have increased in last few years. It is believed that the car used in the suicide attack was not packed far away from the site. “It could not have happened without local help,” the official said.
The suicide bomber who carried out the attack was identified as Adil Ahmed Dar (20). He was a resident of Gundibagh village in Pulwama district. Dar had joint Pakistan-based terror group JeM last March. According to reports, Dar had even visited training camps of JeM in Pakistan.