Security has been beefed up in north Kashmir ahead of a G20 meet in the valley later this month, in view of three back-to-back encounters with militants in which five ultras were killed, officials said on Sunday.
Additional security personnel have been deployed on the ground and drones are being used for aerial surveillance, they said.
Sniffer dogs are assisting security personnel in checking vehicles at various check points established to prevent movement of militants or explosives, they said.
The officials said the security apparatus has been put on a heightened alert as Kashmir will host the third G20 Tourism Working Group meeting later this month.
North Kashmir has witnessed three back-to-back encounters between security forces and militants in the past five days, in which five ultras were killed.
Three of these five ultras hailed from south Kashmir. Their presence in north Kashmir, close to Gulmarg tourist resort, has given rise to apprehensions about the possibility of a major terror strike in the valley, the officials said.
Police officials said the forces were alert to thwart any possible plan of militants to carry out attacks in the run-up to the event.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Baramulla Amod Ashok Nagpure said the intelligence grid was working very hard and the forces have been able to neutralize the threats.
“Our forces are on alert for the summit. Our intelligence agencies are also working hard, our network is very strong. So, we are getting timely information of all the suspicious activities in the area,” Nagpure said.
He said the security agencies are confident that the summit will pass off peacefully and successfully “because of our preparedness”.
The SSP said the security forces have been able to neutralize the threats as there is a complete synergy among various agencies.
The first of these back-to-back encounters in north Kashmir took place on Wednesday as the forces foiled an infiltration bid near the Line of Control (LoC) in Machil sector, in which two militants were killed.
On Thursday, two militants were killed in an encounter in Wanigam Payeen Kreeri area of Baramulla district.