Pathankot on high alert after carjacking near airbase

Security has been tightened in and around Pathankot after four people, travelling in a hired SUV from Jammu, snatched the vehicle from its driver at gunpoint near Madhopur area here and fled, police said on Wednesday. The incident took place on Tuesday night when the driver stopped the car near Madhopur after one of the passengers complained of vomiting, they said.

The incident has caused fears of a Pathankot airbase-like terrorist attack. In 2016, terrorists had carjacked a police officer’s vehicle to reach the airbase before launching the attack. Talking to TOI, border range inspector general of police (IGP) SPS Parmar said they had sounded a high alert in the region. “We have got the video footage of the incident; the faces of the carjackers are not covered. We have circulated the footage,” he said, adding that the criminals, who had hired the SUV from Jammu to Pathankot, were conversing in Punjabi language.

According to the taxi driver, the accused had food at a dhaba before leaving for Pathankot. At Madhopur, one of them said he was feeling nauseated and asked him to stop the SUV. Once the vehicle stopped, they put a gun to his head and fled in the SUV, the police said. Asked whether it was a terrorist incident, Parmar said, “We are taking it seriously.”


Sources said the carjackers could have fled to Pathankot’s bordering districts of Chamba or Kangra in Himachal Pradesh. Chamba SP Monika Bhutungur said, “Special nakas have been set up in the neighbouring areas of Kathua in J&K region to nab the carjackers.” Kangra SP Santosh Patial said the district police had the information of carjacking and they were vigilant. Till the time of filing of this report, none of the four carjackers was arrested.