Terrorists may enter India via Nepal; Home Ministry alerts police, NSG

New Delhi: Following massive mobilisation of security forces along the Pakistan LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after surgical strikes, terrorist outfits operating out of PoK are finding it increasingly difficult to infiltrate into the Valley and are thus planning to use a new route through Nepal.

Amid intelligence reports to this effect, home minister Rajnath Singh held a high-level meeting with top security officials including Archana Ramasundram, chief of Sashastra Seema Bal, the border guarding force for Indo-Nepal border, to review the situation.

Sources said the home minister has directed that additional reinforcements be rushed to the Nepal border for further strengthening the security apparatus there and that SSB should immediately identify the vulnerable points for infiltration and plug these loopholes at the earliest.

Pakistan-based terror outfits are known to have an active and strong network in Nepal also and this has been a constant source of worry for the Indian security agencies. The Indian Airlines flight, IC-814, was hijacked from Kathmandu while the dreaded chief of Indian Mujahideen Yaseen Bhatkal was also picked up with help of the local agencies from a hideout on the outskirts of Kathmandu in 2013.

The home minister has also directed senior officials of the ministry and the SSB to prepare a detailed blueprint on how to seal the Nepal border, it having only designated entry and exit points.

Home ministry puts police, NSG on alert
As of now, the Nepal border is seen to be extremely porous thus causing security concern among the home ministry. The Centre has already decided to seal the Indo-Pak border in western and northern sectors by end 2018.

All state police and NSG have already been put on alert by the home ministry amid Intelligence reports that Pak terror groups could retaliate in response to the surgical strikes.