Searches for suspicious border movements amid Kathua hunt | India News – Times of India

JAMMU: Security forces launched on Friday search operations in Jammu Akhnoor and Ramkot-Billawer of Kathua district after locals reported this suspicious movements along the border with Pakistan, officials said. The pockets are on high alert, with troops asking people to share details of suspected movements after the July 8 ambush at Kathua by terrorists on a army patrol in which five soldiers were killed.
“A joint search was launched by the army, J&K police and CRPF “In Guda Patan and Kana Chak areas along the International Border in the immediate vicinity of Chenab River in Akhnoor sector in the early hours of Friday following information about the suspicious movement of three persons,” an official said.
A poultry farmer is said to have given the tip-off. “The troops have scanned agricultural fields, villages and adjoining habitations from Rajpura of Kanachak to Gharota of Akhnoor,” the official said. The searches continued till late on Friday.
Another search operation involving CRPF and J&K Police personnel was launched near the Ramkot border of Kathua’s Billawer following information about two “suspicious” persons.
Meanwhile, joint teams of the Army, J&K Police and CRPF continued massive combing operations in the dense forests of the Kathua-Udhampur-Doda belt to track down the terrorists behind the July 8 ambush. Army helicopters, special forces and sniffer dogs were deployed.
At least 60 people have been detained for questioning, including three suspected of providing food and shelter to the terrorists, officials said. “The searches in Basantgarh of Udhampur after a guard opened fire on a suspicious movement on July 10,” the official added.
Besides the combing operations, senior officials of J&K and Punjab police on Thursday met the BSF top brass to review the situation along the International Border (IB), where the terrorists are suspected to have entered.