Srinagar, May 1 - National Investigation Agency chief Sadanand Date reached Pahalgam on Thursday. The NIA is probing the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 25 tourists and a local were killed. Officials said that NIA DG Sadanand Date reached Pahalgam, a tourist resort in south Kashmir, on Thursday morning to monitor the ongoing investigation into the attack. Several teams of the agency have already visited the Basran Maidan near Pahalgam and it can be reached only on foot.
A senior official said on Thursday that the NIA DG's visit to Pahalgam is part of the ongoing investigation and the DG will take stock of the situation. Sources said that the NIA chief will be briefed about the ongoing investigation into the attack and the progress made so far. Senior NIA officials are part of the Pahalgam investigation, which is progressing at a fast pace.
Sources said the agency has already recorded statements of eyewitnesses and people present in the area, who were present in the vicinity at the time of the attack on April 22. Those questioned include horse mule drivers present in the area. The attackers include two Pakistani nationals and a local terrorist belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba organisation.
They have been identified as Adil Hussain Thokar, Ali Bahi alias Talha Bahi and Hashim Musa alias Suleman from Anantnag district, both of whom are from Pakistan. More than 2,000 people have been detained across the valley for questioning in connection with the incident.