Jammu: The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on Wednesday detected a small opening, suspected to be a tunnel, near the international border in Jammu & Kashmir's Samba area, news agency ANI reported. A BSF spokesman said that a small opening suspected to be a tunnel was found in general area near fencing in Samba area today evening. PRO BSF Jammu said that a detailed search will be carried out early on Thursday morning at first light. Search operations could not be carried out due to darkness.
Officials said that the suspected tunnel was found almost a fortnight after security forces gunned down two suicide bombers of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit who had infiltrated from Pakistan.
Deputy Inspector General of BSF (Jammu) S P S Sandhu said a small opening, believed to be a suspected tunnel, was found in a general area near fencing in Samba. BSF sources further told PTI that the suspected tunnel was detected by the troops during the ongoing anti-tunnelling drive in the border outpost area of Chak Faquira around 5.30 pm.
A newly dug tunnel at a distance of 150 metres from the IB and 50 metres from the border fence was detected opposite Pakistani post Chaman Khurd (Fiaz) which is 900 metres from the Indian side, a official told the news agency on the condition of anonymity.
He informed that the opening is about 300 metres from the border outpost Chak Faquira and 700 metres from the last Indian village.
Following the April 22 encounter in Sunjwan area of Jammu, BSF launched a massive drive to detect any tunnel all along the International Border (IB). During the encounter, two heavily-armed JeM terrorists, wearing suicide vests, were eliminated after they attacked a bus carrying Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel.
An Assistant-sub inspector of CISF was killed and nine security personnel, including two policemen, were injured in the encounter.
(With inputs from PTI.)