Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 29: Inspector General of Border Security Force (BSF), Rajeev Krishna said today that the security forces along the International Border (IB) were fully geared up to meet with any eventuality as there were reports that the militants could make attempt to infiltrate into the Indian territory.
He said the BSF along with Geology and Mining Department has put a solid mechanism in place to test vulnerable places along the IB to ensure that Pakistan didn’t manage to dig Chechwal (Samba) like tunnels in the border areas.
Speaking to some reporters here this morning, Mr Krishna said a Pakistani intruder Wasim Ahmad Hashim of Gujranwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province, who was arrested by the BSF at Nursery Post in Kamore area of Ramgarh sector in Samba district on April 26, could be part of a larger nexus as he was carrying an electric tester with him, which could have been used in testing electric current in the fencing along the IB.
“Any intruder, who comes close to the fencing, does not do so with good intentions,’’ he said, adding that the intruder has been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre (JIC) to ascertain clues from him on his motive of infiltration.
To a question by the reporters, the IG BSF didn’t rule out the possibility of the intruder assessing the ground situation to plant an IED on the border.
Mr Krishna said after a long tunnel dug from Pakistan side into the Indian territory along the IB was detected at Chechwal in Samba sector last year, the BSF has put a solid mechanism in place with the assistance of Geology and Mining Department to check all vulnerable places and ensure that more such tunnels were not dug.
The BSF has also adopted similar mechanism along the IB in Rajasthan and Punjab borders. Worthwhile to mention here that the BSF had detected a long tunnel inside the Indian territory at Chechwal in Samba sector last year, which the Rangers and Pakistani experts had dug to push infiltrators. A civilian had detected the tunnel after the land had caved in during the Monsoon rains.
Sources said the BSF didn’t want to take any chances on the IB and continued to check all vulnerable areas with the help of Geology and Mining Department to keep the border belt free of any tunnel, which could be used by Pakistan to push infiltrators and weaponry.
Meanwhile, according to sources, the movement of nine militants in two groups has been observed across Samba sector during the past few days and they could try to infiltrate into the Indian side. The BSF was already maintaining a high alert on the borders in Samba and surrounding sectors. Police was also on alert in the area.
Sources said Wasim Ahmad Hashim arrested by the BSF in Ramgarh sector on April 26 along with an electric tester appeared to have sneaked into this side to check the electric current in the border fencing. Though he has claimed that he was working in melamine utensils factory at Gujranwala, security forces suspected him to be a part of larger nexus to facilitate infiltration by the militants and that was the reason he had come with an electric tester.
Sources added that the BSF has refused to buy the theory of Washim Ahmad Hashim that he was coming to this side to ear livelihood for the marriage of his sister.
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