NIA conducts searches at 6 places over Salwinder Singh's alleged abduction

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency is conducting raids at six places in connection with senior Punjab Police officer Salwinder Singh's alleged abduction on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 by terrorists of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

Singh is already being questioned by the NIA for giving conflicting statements over his abduction and underwent lie-detector test in connection with Pathankot IAF base terror attack.

Raids are being conducted at four places in Gurdaspur and two in Amritsar. Raids are also taking place at Salwinder Singh's residence and at residences of his cook Madan Gopal, his friend Rajesh Verma and people associated with him.

Singh, at present posted as Assistant Commandant of 75th Punjab Armed Police after being shunted out as Superintendent of Police (Headquarters) Gurdaspur, will now be subjected to behavioural tests.

Sources in the know of developments said that Singh would be produced before a team of scientists tomorrow. The panel will include a 'Behavioural analyst' and 'Psychoanalysts' which will give a scientific assessment of his personality.

The NIA is questioning Singh to ascertain the sequence of events that took place after he was kidnapped on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 by JeM terrorists.

Singh came under the spanner after he had said that he and the cook were released after their abduction whereas one of their friends, who was travelling with them -- Rajesh Verma -- had been left bleeding midway by the terrorists.

Also, his statement that he was returning from a shrine, which he often visited, was found to be allegedly incorrect after NIA questioned caretaker of the dargah Somraj who told the probe agency that the police officer had come for the first time.

Terrorists had struck at the IAF base on the intervening night of January 1 and 2 in which seven security personnel were killed in the encounter that lasted for three days.

Four bodies of terrorists were recovered while two others are believed to have been burnt in the building where they were holding during the encounter which lasted for 80 hours.