The Indian Air Force (IAF) base in Punjab's Pathankot district was put on high alert after a terror threat was reported on Tuesday. A search operation is currently underway at the airbase.
According to media reports, some terrorist activities have been reported in the area. The search operation was carried out around four to five kilometres near the cantonment along the Pathankot-Dalhousie road, the local police said.
Police also conducted a search operation near Chakki River and alerted police in Himachal Pradesh about the suspicious movement, the Hindu reported. Searches were also conducted in Himachal Pradesh.
"We had got intelligence inputs about presence of anti-national elements so it's just a precautionary measure," Nilambri Vijayjagdale, Senior Superintendent of Police Pathankot, was quoted by ANI as saying.
She added that a joint search operation was conducted by Punjab Police, Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Himachal Pradesh Police and that over 500 personnel were involved.
Vijayjagdale further added that the search operation was conducted in villages and areas located close to the Indian Air Force station. The police said that Quick Response Teams were also deployed to keep vigil on any suspicious movement while security personnel also patrolled areas close to the airbase.
At least five terrorists and six security personnel were killed in a fierce gun battle that lasted for almost 15 hours at Pathankot Air Force base in January 2016. The Narendra Modi government had held Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) responsible for the attack and named its chief Masood Azhar as the mastermind.
