BSF detects 20-metre long tunnel close to IB;IED on Jammu-Poonch highway defused

Special Correspondent
Jammu: Border Security Force on Tuesday detected a 20-metre long tunnel and claimed that possible attempt of infiltration has been foiled as the terrorists are camping across the border to infiltrate into Indian Territory.
“In view of security scenario in recent past on International Border of Jammu region, Border Security Force has taken various innovative measures to ensure fool proof security after assessment of various threats from Pakistan side,” Dharmendra Pareek, DIG BSF, Jammu Frontier told reporters here this afternoon.
Asserting that terrorists across the border are being stationed in Pakistani villages as they are desperately looking to infiltrate into Indian territory to launch attacks, the DIG said, “in this process, all along the International Border, anti-tunnel exercise has also been carried out regularly”.
“On 13th Feb, a vigilant BSF patrol while carrying out in-depth scanning of area, suspected a place at International Border in Ramgarh Sector of District Samba and detected a tunnel approximately 20 metres long and 2.5x 2.5 feet size ahead of fence in Indian territory,” he said.
The DIG said that the tunnel’s origin is from Pakistan side ending at a distance of approximately 20 metres ahead of border fence.
“The tunnel was detected well in advance before its completion,” he added that efforts of alert BSF troops deployed in multi-tiered counter-infiltration grid once again resulted in neutralizing the nefarious designs of Pak supported terrorists.
He further added that BSF troops are extremely vigilant, sensitize and prepared to foil and deal any such emerging threats or nefarious designs.
Meanwhile, security forces this morning busted a terrorist hideout and recovered cache of arms and ammunition while an Improvised Explosive Device was also diffused in two separate incidents Poonch district.
“In a pre dawn search operation, Army and team of police from Mendhar, busted a major cache of arms and ammunition in dense forest,” Defence spokesman said.
He said that based on specific inputs, a crack team of Rashtriya Rifles and JKP launched a joint search operation in the dense forest near Mendhar unearthing huge quantity of arms and ammunition which include a PIKA Machine Gun with 90 belted rounds, AK 74 Rifle, AK 47 Rifle, two UBGL Launchers, 22 UBGL grenades, two Chinese grenades, ICOM radio set with antenna and approximately rounds of 500 AK 47.
According to another report, traffic was disrupted on Jammu-Poonch National Highway after a suspected Improvised Explosive Device was found abandoned in Poonch district.
“A suspected IED was found abandoned in a polythene along the roadside this morning in Totagali area of Bhimber Gali in Poonch,” Police spokesperson said.
He said that traffic was immediately stopped on both the sides and bomb disposal squad of Army was pressed into service. “Suspected device was diffused and traffic restored after around one-hour,” he added.
The spokesman however, said that the device has been seized for further investigation.