The Punjab Police launched a massive search operation in Shadipur village of Pathankot district after a local claimed to have spotted six suspicious men.

The search operation was carried out on Friday evening after a farmer claimed to have seen six suspicious persons who were carrying backpacks, police said Saturday.

He immediately informed the police which conducted a search operation in sugarcane fields of the area to trace the suspects.

We have carried out search operation on Friday evening and as a preventive measure, we will again launch search operation in some more villages on Saturday, Pathankot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni told PTI.

So far, nothing suspicious has been found, he said.

Meanwhile, in another incident, police also recovered a car near Muthi village of Pathankot after its occupants abandoned it.

Police believed that the car, bearing Jammu and Kashmir registration number, belonged to some bovine smugglers.

All the police check posts were alerted in Pathankot district to stop the car on Friday night after getting an input about the bovine smugglers.

However, four car occupants avoided two police check posts near Kollian village and Ujjh area. But later, they abandoned the vehicle near Muthi village when they found it was not possible to give a slip to the police check posts.

Police have also traced the owner of the car which is registered in the name of one Hassandin of Kathua area.

A raid was also conducted at his house but he was not found, police official said.

Nothing suspicious has been found from the vehicle, police said.

Meanwhile, extra vigil is being maintained by security agencies in the border district.

Security agencies in Pathankot and adjoining districts have been on alert after four persons, travelling in a hired SUV from Jammu, had snatched the vehicle from its driver at gunpoint near Madhopur area here a couple of days back.

However, police was yet to trace the vehicle.