Balasore, 26 April

A three-member NIA team on Saturday recorded the statement of Priya Darshani Achariya, the wife of CIPET employee Prashant Satpathy, one of the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, an official said on Saturday.

The team of the National Investigation Agency reached Satpathy’s native village Ishani, under the Remuna block in Balasore district, around 11am and continued the investigation till 3pm, the deceased's family members said.

Achariya’s statement is 'crucial' for investigation as she and her 9-year-old son Tanuj were eyewitnesses to the killings of innocent people on Tuesday, he said.

During the recording of the statement of Achariya, other members of the deceased’s family were not allowed in the room where the NIA team was carrying out the investigation, the official said.

'No comment,' a member of the NIA team told reporters before leaving the Ishani village after recording Achariya's statement.

Prashant's elder brother, Sushant Satpathy, said, 'I was not present during the statement recording. What I gathered is that they asked questions about the physical appearance of terrorists, and what terrorists asked tourists before the killing of innocents. They also wanted to know her whereabouts during the firing. The NIA team also asked whether the victims received any help from locals and others.'

Prashant's mother said the family members demanded stringent action against the culprits and said they cooperated with the NIA team.

Prasant 41, who was working with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology in Balasore, had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir with his wife and son on a vacation.