Indian traveller's weapon goes undetected at Wagah due to power failure

Pakistani officials say recurrent power outage during the day had caused the scanner to become inoperative

LAHORE: An Indian citizen carrying a pistol went undetected Tuesday on the Wagah border following power failure on the Pakistani side.

The weapon, which was hidden in a pressure cooker, was recovered during snap-checking at Attari border through trained dogs.

The citizen, 75-year-old Multan Ahmed had arrived in Pakistan on April 13 with his brother Nasir to meet his family in Multan.

According to Pakistan's Customs, recurrent power outage during the day had caused the scanner to become inoperative, leading to manual checking of the luggage.

The elderly man informed Indian immigration authorities during investigation that a Lahore resident one Abdul Rehman had handed over a pressure cooker box to him, which, he wanted to be given over to his friend. The unnamed, however, hadn't shared the whereabouts of his friend.



Last week, Pakistan Rangers handed over a 23-year old Indian national Dalwinder Singh to the Border Security Force (BSF) of India at Wagah check post.

Singh had inadvertently crossed into Ballanwala village in Pakistan on March 6 last year. He thanked the Pakistan security forces for the treatment and care meted to him during his stay.

In April, an Indian lawmaker proposed the construction of another gate at the Pakistan-India border crossing at Wagah to facilitate passengers between the two countries.

Shwait Malik, an Indian member of parliament, proposed that the new gate should be built next to the business gate. The proposal was presented reportedly in a meeting held at a joint check-post.