A minor boy from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was detained in the Salotri area of Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district after he crossed over to the Indian side under unclear circumstances.
The boy has been identified as Javid Ali, son of Mohammad Sharief, a resident of Tetrinote in PoK. He was taken into custody after security forces detected his movement in a sensitive border zone.
During preliminary questioning, Javid Ali told authorities that he had gone to a nearby river to bathe and inadvertently strayed across the Line of Control (LoC).
Security agencies, however, are exercising caution. Officials said they are thoroughly questioning the boy to ascertain his real intentions.
In the past, the Pakistan Army has used minors as pathfinders to test the alertness of Indian soldiers along the LoC, aiming to identify gaps for infiltrating terrorists into Indian territory.
"If he has crossed over by mistake, troops will hand him over to their Pakistani counterparts within 24 hours so the boy can be reunited with his family. That is why no chances are being taken, and the matter is being properly investigated," a security official said.
Meanwhile, intelligence inputs indicate that terror groups are waiting at multiple launch pads across the LoC, poised to infiltrate into this side of the border to intensify terror-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir during the summer.
The incident comes amid continued unrest in PoK. More than 30 people have been killed and 200 injured due to firing by Pakistani forces. Unarmed civilians have been protesting for weeks, demanding basic amenities that they claim have been denied to them for years.
