Italian tourist detained near IB in J&K's Kathua, released later

Jammu, Nov 15 (IANS) An Italian tourist was detained in J&K's Kathua district on Friday but later released, officials said.

"An Italian tourist, identified as 41-year-old Sciacca Marco, was detained for questioning when the security forces found him on a bicycle near the international border (IB) in Kathua district. He belongs to Torino in Italy and had crossed into India through the Wagah border in neighbouring Punjab on October 10," an official said.

"He was found moving on the road long the Baniyari Chakra road in the Marheen area of the Rajbagh sector in Kathua. Security forces detained him for questioning. He had earlier visited China, Afghanistan and Pakistan before coming to India. He was found to be a bona fide tourist and was later allowed to go," the official added.

Security forces are maintaining a 24X7 vigil on areas close to the IB because of the challenge of drones being used by terrorist outfits with the assistance of the Pakistani forces to drop weapons, narcotics, and cash to be picked up by the terrorists and their associates.

In the past security forces have also discovered tunnels dug along the IB leading into the Indian territory from across the border. As the terrorists have started increasing attacks on the army, security forces and civilians after peaceful, people-participative Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K, intelligence agencies believe that the handlers of terrorism sitting across the border have ordered their mercenary fighters to increase attacks to disturb the prevailing peace in J&K.

Security forces have revised their strategy to thwart the designs of the terrorists. The IB is guarded in J&K by the Border Security Force (BSF) while the line of control (LoC) is guarded by the army. It was in this context that the senior BSF officers including the Additional DG and the IG, Frontier visited the Rajouri district on Thursday to review the security situation in the border areas.

--IANS

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