“It was terribly specific and was based on a communication intercept,” said a senior official. The alert was first sent out in late November, giving everyone enough time to prepare. Yet, the terrorists managed to enter the CRPF Group Centre, kill eight men and escape.

Almost a week after the attack, authorities still have no clue about the outfit which is behind the attack, not even how many men participated in it. All that the CRPF authorities have said is the attackers were “not less than four”. Where was their local base, who all provided them logistical support, and where they found shelter after the attack are the uneasy questions hanging in the air.

On November 27, the intelligence agencies sent alerts among others, to the state DGP, who in turn, alerted Rampur district police chief, Moradabad Range DIG and Zone IG at Bareilly.

The CRPF also received the alert through its own channels and had it verified.

Further, the state police’s intelligence wing got a communication directly from IB, and alerted the CRPF authorities.

How seriously the communication intercept was taken by the intelligence agencies can be understood from the fact that there were quite a few reminders after the initial alert. “The last reminder came on December 30, just two days before the attack,” a source said.

After the alert, several meetings were held between the district authorities and CRPF officers. But when the attack actually came, all were literally caught napping.

In the communication intercept, one man was heard telling another that recruitment was going on at a CRPF or BSF centre at Rampur and “this was the best time for the work”.

The intelligence officials were sure that the intercept referred to the Rampur Group Centre in view of the fact that while the intercept talked of “CRPF or BSF centre”, the fact remains that Rampur has a CRPF Group Centre, which also houses this paramilitary force’s central weapons store meant to supply arms and ammunition to its units all over the country.

Moreover, recruitment was going on at the centre at the time of the alert.