Srinagar: A 17-year-old girl from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) was detained by the Indian Army after she crossed the Line of Control (LoC) and entered Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, officials said.
The teenager was intercepted in the Lam sector of Nowshera after an Army patrol noticed movement near the LoC fence. She was subsequently handed over to the Nowshera Police for further verification and questioning.
The girl has been identified as Samiya Azeem, daughter of Mohammad Azeem and a resident of Khuiretta in PoJK, according to officials quoted in multiple reports.
During preliminary questioning, she reportedly told authorities that she had crossed into the Indian side inadvertently. Security agencies are now examining her account and investigating the circumstances surrounding her presence near and across the LoC.
Army patrol detects movement near LoC
The incident took place in the Lam sector of Nowshera, an area along the LoC in Rajouri district.
According to officials, an Army patrol noticed suspicious movement near the fence during routine surveillance. The personnel challenged the person and approached after detecting the movement.
The patrol subsequently found that the individual was a teenage girl from Khuiretta in PoJK. She was detained and subjected to preliminary questioning by the Army before being handed over to the local police.
Officials said the girl is now being questioned by Nowshera Police as part of the verification process.
The Army’s intervention followed the detection of movement close to the LoC fence, where security forces maintain surveillance because of the sensitive nature of the area.
Teenager claims she crossed inadvertently
During preliminary interrogation, the girl reportedly maintained that she had crossed the LoC inadvertently.
Authorities have not yet accepted the explanation as conclusively established. Security agencies are examining the circumstances of the crossing to determine whether it was accidental or whether there was any other reason for her entry into Indian territory.
At this stage, reports do not indicate that any incriminating material was recovered from her possession.
The investigation is therefore focused on establishing her identity, understanding how she reached the Indian side and verifying the circumstances in which the crossing took place.
The girl’s status as a minor is also significant as authorities continue the verification and questioning process.
Police take over further verification
After the initial questioning by the Army, the teenager was handed over to Nowshera Police.
Police are expected to verify her identity and background and examine her account of how she crossed the LoC. Security agencies are also involved in determining whether the crossing was genuinely inadvertent.
Multiple reports have confirmed that the investigation remains underway and that no final conclusion has been reached about the circumstances of the crossing.
The authorities have not announced any decision on her repatriation at this stage.
Similar cross-LoC cases have occurred
The latest incident comes against the backdrop of other unusual cases involving civilians crossing the LoC.
In a separate case reported earlier this year, a 22-year-old man from PoK was detained after crossing into the Indian side of Kashmir. The man, identified in reports as Zeeshan Ahmad Mir, had reportedly travelled across the LoC to meet a woman with whom he had been communicating through social media.
He was detained near Silikote in the Uri sector in May and was subsequently repatriated to PoK after the case was closed, according to the account provided by authorities at the time.
Such cases can involve circumstances very different from those surrounding suspected infiltration, making individual verification important before any conclusion is reached about the intent behind a crossing.
Security agencies continue investigation
The latest case is being investigated by Nowshera Police and other security agencies.
The immediate priority is to establish how the teenager reached the Indian side of the LoC and whether her claim of an inadvertent crossing is supported by the available evidence.
Officials have so far described the incident in terms of a detention following the detection of movement near the LoC. No conclusion about deliberate intent has been announced.
The case also highlights the sensitive security environment along the LoC, where even civilian movement across the boundary is subject to immediate scrutiny by security forces.
For now, the teenager remains with the authorities while her identity, background and explanation are being verified.
Further action, including any decision regarding her repatriation, is expected to depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation.