BSF detects cross-border tunnel in J&K’s Samba

The tunnel originates from Pakistani territory close to the International Border, BSF Inspector General (Jammu zone) N S Jamwal said.




The Border Security Force on Saturday announced that it has detected a cross-border tunnel “150-160 metres towards the Indian side” in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba sector and said it has foiled the “nefarious designs of Pakistan” to send militants into the Union Territory.

The tunnel originates from Pakistani territory close to the International Border, BSF Inspector General (Jammu zone) N S Jamwal said.

“The Pakistani establishment certainly had some role in digging such a long tunnel,” he said, pointing to sand bags used to reinforce the opening of the tunnel on Indian side, which had markings of factories in Shakargarh and Karachi.

Jamwal said the BSF, over the past few days, had been receiving inputs about the existence of a cross-border tunnel in Samba district and as such, it had pressed into service some special teams to carry out the anti-tunnelling operations in areas along the International Border.

The National Investigation Agency had on Tuesday filed a chargesheet in an NIA Court against 19 accused in the February 2019 Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The chargesheet said Umar Farooq, a nephew of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, had infiltrated into India via the International Border at the Jammu-Samba sector in April 2018.

When asked whether Farooq could have infiltrated into India via this tunnel, Jamwal said that going by the condition of sand bags found in it, the tunnel appeared to be freshly dug. “However, it is a matter of investigation which is in progress,” he said.

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