Indian Army troops caught a Pakistani national after he crossed the LoC in Poonch.

Pak intruder caught along LoC in J&K's Poonch, third cross-border breach this month

Indian Army troops caught a Pakistani national after he crossed the LoC in Poonch on Sunday. The incident, the district's third this month, came as a suspected drone sighting in Samba triggered searches.

by · India Today

In Short

  • No incriminating material found on him, under questioning
  • Earlier, two others from PoK were detained in Poonch this month
  • Suspected Pakistani drone sighted near Samba, search operation launched

A 31-year-old Pakistani national was caught by Indian Army troops after crossing the Line of Control (LoC) in the Balakote sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Sunday, marking the third such incident in the district this month, officials said.

The intruder has been identified as Rayees Khan (31), son of Mohammad Yaqoob Khan, a resident of Taroti village in Tetrinote tehsil of Haveli district in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). He was taken into custody shortly after crossing the LoC into the Indian side in the Balakote sector.

Officials said no incriminating material was recovered from Rayees Khan during the initial search. Security agencies are questioning him to ascertain the motive behind his cross-border movement and determine whether he had any intended contacts or objectives on the Indian side.

The latest apprehension marks the third such incident in Poonch district this month.

On Friday, another PoK resident, Mohammad Sajad (26), was arrested from the Gulpur area of the Krishna Ghati sector in Poonch.

Earlier, on June 9, 14-year-old Javid Ali was detained after crossing into the Indian side. He was handed over to Pakistan a week later.

Meanwhile, a suspected Pakistani drone briefly entered the Indian side along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district, prompting a search operation by Indian security forces.

Officials said the drone was spotted hovering near Nundpur village early Sunday. Following the sighting, the Border Security Force (BSF), the Army and the police launched a thorough ground search operation to ensure that no weapons or narcotics had been airdropped from across the border.

- Ends