J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

30 Bangladeshis arrested
Jammu, December 7
The BSF today arrested 30 Bangladeshi nationals for trying to cross over to Pakistan via the Samba sector in Jammu, official sources said here. They said the group, comprising 17 men, five women and eight children, was taken into custody near the border outpost of Londi in Samba.

Fire renders 300 homeless
Srinagar, December 7
Nearly 300 persons were rendered homeless in a devastating fire which engulfed a village of Baramula district in north Kashmir, official sources said today. However, there was no report of any loss of life, they added.

Pakistani currency at display in an army camp at Uplona in Baramula district on Saturday. The currency and ammunition was recovered from six militants killed in a fierce encounter with security forces on Id day. — PTI

30 Bangladeshis arrested

Jammu, December 7
The BSF today arrested 30 Bangladeshi nationals for trying to cross over to Pakistan via the Samba sector in Jammu, official sources said here.

They said the group, comprising 17 men, five women and eight children, was taken into custody near the border outpost of Londi in Samba.

After preliminary questioning, they were handed over to the police for further investigations, the sources said.

This is the second exfiltration bid by nationals of Bangladesh during the past three days. Earlier, eight of them tried to cross over to Pakistan via the Katao border outpost in Samba on December 5 but were arrested.

Such Bangladeshi nationals, mostly labourers, were brought by touts from West Bengal to Punjab on the promise that they would get employment in construction activities, the sources said. When they do not get employment anywhere, they come to Jammu and cross over to Pakistan in search of jobs. PTI

Fire renders 300 homeless

Srinagar, December 7
Nearly 300 persons were rendered homeless in a devastating fire which engulfed a village of Baramula district in north Kashmir, official sources said today.

However, there was no report of any loss of life, they added.

The fire originated from a house and engulfed 34 other residential houses in the village of old Teleel during the night of December 5, the sources said adding that within no time, the entire village was reduced to ashes rendering nearly 300 persons homeless. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

State Finance Minister Muzaffar Hussain Beigh, accompanied by some senior state administration officials, have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. PTI