Gurdaspur attack: Suspected terrorists visited Punjab village 3 days before attack

According to the locals, the men accompanying the woman were Sikhs who claimed they were from an NGO but did not disclose their identities and contact numbers.

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Gurdaspur terror attack
Days before the Gurdaspur terror attack, three unidentified people visited Karnana to conduct a recce

Located about 116 kilometres from Chandigarh, the village of Karnana near Banga town of Punjab is in the news. It has been reported that before the July 27 Gurdaspur terror attack , at least three unidentified people, including a woman in her thirties, visited this village on July 24 and listed the families who previously supported the Khalistan movement, the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) in particular.

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According to the locals, the men accompanying the woman were Sikhs who claimed they were from an NGO but did not disclose their identities and contact numbers. "The men were wearing turbans and the woman had a wheatish complexion. They were never seen in the village earlier. They said they were conducting a survey to identify the families who had lost their family members during the insurgency and also claimed that similar survey was being conducted in other parts of the state," a Karnana resident told Mail Today.

It has also been reported that a satellite phone call was intercepted on the morning of July 31. Sources said the international call was made by using a Thuraya satellite phone.

The call was intercepted by the Army Signals Unit. Sources said the police have failed to nab the alleged terrorist who used the satellite phone. Similar satellite phones were used by the terrorists during the 2009 Mumbai attacks.

Meanwhile, Indian Army jawans along with local police personnel investigated in Karnana village for three consecutive days. The Army and police teams also held a meeting but nothing has been disclosed about their operations.

When contacted, Banga SSP Snehdeep Sharma pleaded ignorance. "We do not have any input about the interception of a satellite phone call near Karnana village. I have received a lot of queries about the said call which was allegedly made on July 31. The meeting between the Army and Punjab Police was a routine one and no such issue was discussed," Sharma told Mail Today.

Meanwhile, highly placed sources told Mail Today that the security agencies were keeping an eye on the movement of the Gujjar tribe which is believed to be an important link between the Pakistani terrorists and their local sympathisers.

Sources also said that some Gujjars from Karnana and nearby villages often visited Pakistan and a woman of the community was also allegedly involved in anti-national activities. Sources added that the three unidentified people, including the woman might be the members of the terror group which stormed Dinanagar on July 27. These unidentified people possibly arranged the accommodation for the terrorists in a Gujjar dera.

Sources said that Karnana and other nearby villages, including Raja Saab, Sahlo and Punya villages in Banga region, had several supporters of the Khalistan movement during the insurgency. In May of 2012, two Chinese pistols, ammunition, 2.7 kg of RDX and three bombs were recovered from two KZF members and that showed that the separatists were still active in the area.