Four men hijack SUV in Pathankot, high alert sounded over fears of 2016 attack repeat

Pathankot, Nov 14: Four persons, travelling in a hired SUV from Jammu, hijacked the vehicle from its driver at gunpoint near Madhopur area in Pathankot, 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 suspects, who were speaking in Punjabi, had booked the car from the Jammu taxi stand, police said.

They said the driver was identified as Raj Kumar, a resident of Jammu.

Security has been tightened in and around Pathankot district following the incident and vehicles are being checked, police said, adding that efforts are underway to trace the car.

In 2016, terrorists, who had launched attacks on the Pathankot Air base, had snatched a Punjab police officer's car to get to the air base.

"The occupants snatched the vehicle from the driver at gunpoint," Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police Vivek Sheel Soni said.

Police said the Punjab Police has sent a team to Sambha in Jammu where they had dinner on Tuesday night.

CCTV camera footage would be examined to identify the perpetrators, they said.