BSF Director General (DG) Rakesh Asthana visited forward areas along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir''s Samba district on Saturday and rewarded his men for detecting a 170-foot-long tunnel aimed at facilitating infiltration of terrorists and smuggling of narcotics into the Union Territory from across the border, a spokesperson of the force said.

Asthana, who is currently on a three-day tour of the Jammu frontier, visited the spot where the tunnel was detected on August 28, he added.

Accompanied by Additional DG (WC) S S Panwar and Inspector General of the Border Security Force (BSF), Jammu frontier N S Jamwal, the DG praised the troops for the alertness they displayed in the detection of the tunnel and said it shows their devotion and dedication towards performing difficult duties for the country.

He also honoured and rewarded the team that was instrumental in the detection of the tunnel, the spokesperson said.

Asthana also visited different border outposts in the Samba sector and was briefed by Deputy Inspector General Sukhdev Raj about the present security arrangements in the sensitive area.

The DG also held discussions with the sector and unit commanders, and reviewed the overall deployment of the BSF and its domination plan along the IB, the spokesperson said.

He added that Asthana interacted with the troops at the border outposts and lauded them for their dedication towards safeguarding the borders and also for their immaculate discipline and professional acumen.  

Asthana, who took over as the chief of the border-guarding force recently, arrived on the three-day visit at the frontier headquarters here on Friday.