Pathankot attack: Letter Rogatory to be sent to Pak with details of terrorists

New Delhi: India is expected to send to Pakistan Letter Rogatory (LR) along with DNA samples of slain terrorists who attacked Pathankot air base, their phone call details, numbers of handlers based in that country and other information to help nab the mastermind of the crime.

The DNA test of the six killed terrorists will be conducted as early as possible while the details of the phone calls made by the terrorists to their Pakistan-based handler are being prepared to be sent to Pakistan.

All these will be sent through an LR so that the Pakistani authorities could take forward the case in that country, official sources said today. LR is a formal request from a court to a foreign court for some type of judicial assistance. The most common remedies sought by letters rogatory are service of process and taking of evidence.

Security agencies believe that through the call details, Pakistani authorities could reach the mother of one of the terrorists who had telephoned her saying he was on a suicide mission.

The DNA samples would also help to establish that one of the terrorists was her son. Besides, the terrorists have made multiple calls to their handlers, believed to be based in Bahawalpur in Pakistan's Punjab, which is headquarters of terror group Jaish-e- Mohammad. JeM is suspected to be behind the attack in Pathankot air base.

Pakistan Premier Nawaz Sharif today gave an assurance to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that "prompt and decisive action" will be taken against the terrorists behind the Pathankot attack after Modi pressed for immediate steps on "specific and actionable" information provided to them.

Modi received a call this afternoon from Sharif regarding the terror attack on the Pathankot airbase.