In Jammu and Kashmir, the security agencies have widened the ambit of the search operation in Udhampur and Kathua district to track down two groups of terrorists involved in the killing of a village defence guard in Udhampur district. Akashvani Jammu Correspondent reports that a Village Defence Guard (VDG) was killed in a brief encounter with terrorists in remote Panara village in Chochru Gala Heights early Sunday, following which a hunt was launched jointly by the police, army, and CRPF. The search operation, which entered the fourth day today, is ongoing in Basantgarh, Bani and Seoj areas of Udhampur and Kathua districts and there has been no fresh contact with the fleeing terrorists. As per the information from the Police, the movement of one group has been reported in the upper reaches of the Udhampur district while the other group is seen to have moved towards the Bani, Daggar and Kindli areas of the Kathua district. The movement of one of the groups was picked up from Allo Top and Seoj high altitude dense forested areas in Udhampur district. More security personnel have been deployed in these areas to strengthen the cordon in the large high-altitude forest belt between Udhampur and Kathua. Apart from the use of choppers, UAVs, and drones for surveillance, additional forces have been moved into these areas to intensify the efforts to track down and neutralise the terrorists. The strength of the two terrorist groups, as per preliminary investigation, is between four and six and the security forces are working on various inputs to flush them out. The terror groups are believed to be present in the area after they recently infiltrated from across the border and reached Basantgarh from adjoining Kathua district after managing to sneak into this side from across the border and were heading for Chenab Valley when they were confronted by the police and VDG members.