Two militants of the Pakistan-based militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed were arrested in Kashmir's Baramulla district on Saturday, reported ANI. Ammunition, including an AK-47 rifle and a pistol, as well as Hizbul Mujahideen and JeM stamps were seized from the duo. The militants were caught in a joint search operation of personnel of the 52 Rashtriya Rifles and a Special Operation Group (Baramulla), which was launched after they received intelligence inputs on the presence of the ultras in the region.

The arrests come a day after the Jammu and Kashmir Police caught a suspected Pakistani spy from Samba district, NDTV reported. The police also seized two SIM cards from Pakistan from Bodh Raj, who posed as a local villager, and a map that contained details of security forces deployed. The resident of Jammu district's Arnia tehsil was caught while trying to escape from Jerda village, a little more than a kilometre from the international border, according to The Indian Express.

Advertisement

Security personnel are questioning Bodh Raj to ascertain whether he is part of a larger espionage network. In August, another suspected Pakistani spy was arrested in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The accused, identified as Nandlal Maharaj, had maps and photographs of border areas in the state.

Tension along the country's border areas has risen in the past month. On Friday, Border Security Force officials had claimed to have killed seven Pakistani rangers and a militant in retaliatory firing along the LoC in Kashmir's Kathua district on Thursday night. Pakistan, however, has denied the claims and accused India of resorting to "unprovoked shelling".

India has said there has been an increase in ceasefire violations after it carried out surgical strikes on "terror launchpads" along the LoC. Officials reported breaches on October 3, 4 and 5 along the border in Jammu. On September 18, militants had attacked an Indian Army installation in Uri, killing 19 soldiers. India had accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, but Islamabad has dismissed the allegations as "baseless".