Ramban, Aug 7: A suspicious Scorpio vehicle evaded a police checkpoint at Chanderkote in Ramban district early Friday while travelling from Srinagar towards Jammu, prompting security forces to launch a search operation.
According to officials, police personnel signalled the vehicle to stop at a security check in Chanderkote. However, the driver allegedly ignored the signals and accelerated towards Nashri.
Police fired three rounds in an attempt to stop the vehicle, but the driver managed to flee from the area.
Following the incident, police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army launched a joint search operation to trace the vehicle and identify those travelling in it.
Security scare amid ongoing Amarnath Yatra
Security forces are conducting searches in the area and surrounding routes as part of efforts to locate the Scorpio. The incident has heightened security concerns for pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir embarking on the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, with the Ramban district a crucial route for the pilgrimage.
The yatra resumed from Jammu on Thursday after remaining suspended for a day amid heightened security arrangements on the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. A batch of 1,801 pilgrims departed from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp early Thursday for the cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir.
Officials said the 28th batch left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas at around 2:45 am for the Baltal base camp under tight security. However, no convoy was dispatched along the Pahalgam route.
The latest batch comprised 1,347 men, 351 women, 89 sadhus and 14 sadhvis, who travelled in 74 vehicles.
With the departure of this batch, the total number of pilgrims who have left Jammu for the annual pilgrimage this year has reached 1,43,513, officials said.
Meanwhile, more than 4.71 lakh pilgrims have so far paid obeisance at the Ice Lingam of Lord Shiva inside the 3,880-metre-high Amarnath cave shrine.
The 57-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to conclude on August 28.–(India TV)
