Thaindian News

Jammu, July 28 (IANS) An “under construction” tunnel originating from the Pakistani side of the international border in Jammu and Kashmir has been discovered near an army post in Samba district, police said Saturday.

Senior Superintendent of Police Israr Khan said that a stretch of sunken earth was detected by a farmer Friday near Chinari border post of India, close to the border fence, some 55 km south of Jammu.

“We reported the matter to the Border Security Force and got the area dug today (Saturday),” he said.

According to the SSP, after digging about 25 feet deep “a tunnel facing the Pakistan side was discovered”.

Khan said the “tunnel is three feet in height and three feet in diameter and has pipes for oxygen running along its length. It appears that the tunnel is about 400-500 metres” long.

The tunnel runs below the fence built on the Indian territory to prevent infiltration from Pakistan.

“Our assessment is that this tunnel is under construction,” Khan said.

Pakistani post Lambryal is about 500 metre from the Indian Chinari Post. “There is thick vegetation and forest in that area and we cannot notice the activities going on across the fence,” said an official.

Khan said more details would be known after the matter was investigated by all agencies but prima facie it appears to be made “to facilitate infiltration and smuggle in arms and ammunition”.

The Indian security agencies have been claiming that the stepped up vigil on frontiers and the deterrence in the form of the fencing had reduced infiltration from Pakistan.