SRINAGAR: It has happened yet again. After the guns fell silent on the International Border (IB) between Jammu and Sialkote and the border guards started inspecting the territory, they discovered a tunnel. It measured 14 ft on the zero line.
The discovery came a week after the rival sides shelled each other’s positions in Arnia, a forward town in Ramgarh. BSF said this was the second tunnel unearthed since February and fourth in the past one year. The last tunnel was detected on February 13 in Ramgarh sector.
IGP BSF Ram Awatar told reporters that the unfinished tunnel, dug from the Pakistani side, measured approximately having three-feet height and two-and-a-half feet width on the slope of bank at Dhamalla nullah (stream) ahead of border fence. It was detected Saturday morning.
The recoveries from the tunnel include a US-made compass, two magazines, 60 rounds of ammunition, a hand grenade, four pairs of shoes, polythene bags, sharp-edged weapons, four sleeping bags, batteries cells and number of eatables including chicken, chapattis and curry etc and other items, most of which were carrying the marking of Pakistan, Awtar was quoted saying.
The discovery came a day after the sector commanders of the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers held a flag meeting in Suchetgarh sector to defuse the tensions.
BSF top brass says the tunnel indicated that a major terror strike was going to take place in the region that was averted by the timely detection of the tunnel.
Earlier such tunnels were also used for smuggling goods as well.
Earlier, India sought help on the tunnel-detection system from Israel, which claimed to have used such technology to guard its borders and prevent cross-border attacks.
