NEW DELHI: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday said the three LeT terrorists killed in Samba (Jammu) on Tuesday during an encounter might have crawled through an eighty-metre long tunnel
under farm lands to infiltrate the International Border (IB) before being neutralised by the paramilitary.
BSF Director K K Sharma said the paramilitary force had "strong inputs" about possible infiltration bids by terrorists from across the IB following the Indian Army's surgical strikes on terror launch pads,
making it easy to detect and neutralise such attempts.
"After the operation got over at the Chamliyal BoP (border outpost), we checked the fence and there was no breach. Then today morning, we detected a small tunnel of the size of 2x2 metres... We had deployed 'depth nakas' across the fence and hence we could detect and neutralise the three terrorists. The tunnel was found in a field where farming is done and has soft soil. The tunnel is about 75-80 metres from the IB and about 35-40 metres from the fence," the DG told reporters on the eve of 51st Raising Day of the BSF.
Addressing the annual Press conference, the DG said the BSF will take up the matter with its counterparts -- Pakistan Rangers. Due to increased hostilities, however, Pakistan Rangers is not "getting in
touch" with the BSF for quite some time, he said.
BSF officials said there are enough indications to conclude that the liquidated terrorists crawled through the tunnel to reach this side of the border.
The BSF has killed 15 Pakistani Rangers and 12 terrorists while the paramilitary lost five troops since the increase in hostilities between the two sides after surgical strikes by India.
"For the last 15 days there has been no shelling along the IB. Post the surgical strikes we knew that infiltration attempts and attacks would increase along the IB which we exclusively guard and hence
anticipating trouble we have been prepared against such attempts," he further said.
The three terrorists killed on Tuesday were carrying huge arms and ammunition including three AK-47s, 20 full magazines, 517 bullets, an 8mm pistol, 20 grenades and a GPS set along with other items.