Barely a month after a Canadian non-resident Indian (NRI) drove his Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) into the Wagah-Attari border gate, three Kashmiri occupants of another speeding SUV — a Toyota Innova — that came within one km of the India-Pakistan border gates were apprehended by the Border Security Force (BSF) in the wee hours of Sunday.
Identified as Umar Bashir (28), Sajjad Ahmad (22) and Sohaib Nissar (21) — the accused who are all natives of Srinagar — were nabbed outside the Integrated Check Post (ICP). They have told the authorities that they came so close to the border after having lost their way from Srinagar to New Delhi. They were later booked by the police for rash driving and disobeying a public servant.
“At 2.50am on Sunday, troops deployed outside the ICP saw an Innova approaching them at high speed. When signaled to stop, the vehicle driver lost control and hit a divider. As a precautionary measure, the troops took all three occupants into custody,” BSF deputy inspector general Sumer Singh told a press conference.
He added that an immediate search of the vehicle and three men yielded nothing, even as the youth repeated their earlier that they were going to Delhi from Srinagar and had lost their way — an explanation that the police are circumspect about.
{{/usCountry}}He added that an immediate search of the vehicle and three men yielded nothing, even as the youth repeated their earlier that they were going to Delhi from Srinagar and had lost their way — an explanation that the police are circumspect about.
{{/usCountry}}“During initial questioning, the men have revealed that the car is owned by a carpet company in Delhi. The men also claim to working for the same company. When contacted, the company has confirmed that the men were to en route to Delhi, but have expressed surprise at how the three ended up near the border,” DIG Sumer added.
“A case has been registered under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) at the Gharinda police station. Investigation is on, though nothing suspicious has come to the fore so far,” said Border Range DIG Kunwar Vijay Partap Singh.
Read: New security equipment, vigour marks BSF security
Read more: Security breach at Wagah border as man rams SUV into Indian gate