Jammu, August 8: A suspicious vehicle that broke through a security barrier in Ramban, Jammu and Kashmir, has been located, but the occupants remain unaccounted for. This incident caused a stir on the crucial Jammu-Srinagar highway, frequently used by Amarnath pilgrims.
Joint teams of security forces are conducting a search operation to locate the individuals who were in the vehicle. After breaching the security barrier at Chanderkot, the vehicle was driven towards Nashri despite warnings from security personnel.
An official stated, “Despite repeated signals to stop, the vehicle did not comply. As a precaution, police fired three rounds at the vehicle.” Authorities confirmed that while the vehicle has been found, the occupants managed to escape the scene. A combined search operation involving police, CRPF, and the army is ongoing to track them down.
The vehicle in question was a Mahindra Scorpio SUV (registration number JK 02 AK 1743). It crossed a security checkpoint in Chanderkot, Ramban district, early Friday morning and was later abandoned near Dalwas.
The incident occurred around 3:30 AM, and the abandoned vehicle was discovered by noon. Investigators suspect that the breach in security was primarily aimed at cattle smuggling. Animal droppings found inside the vehicle suggest it was being used for the illegal transportation of livestock.
In response to this incident during the Amarnath Yatra, a high-security alert has been issued across the district. It is believed that three individuals were in the vehicle, and they fled into nearby forests to evade capture.
Meanwhile, the Amarnath Yatra resumed from Jammu on Thursday, coinciding with the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, under tight security. A group of 1,801 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp for the Amarnath cave in South Kashmir.
Officials reported that the 28th batch left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas for the Baltal base camp around 2:45 AM. However, no convoy was dispatched from the Pahalgam route. This new batch included 1,347 men, 351 women, 89 sadhus, and 14 sadhvis, traveling in 74 vehicles. So far, over 471,000 pilgrims have visited the sacred cave. The 57-day pilgrimage will conclude on August 28, coinciding with the festivals of Shravan Purnima and Raksha Bandhan.
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