Jammu: Three people suspected to be Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants were arrested with six weapons in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, a senior police officer said.

A truck bearing cardboard material was intercepted at 8 am on the Jammu-Pathankot Highway and six AK-47 rifles were seized from it after checking, said Jammu Inspector General of Police Makesh Singh. The vehicle was on its way to Kashmir from Bamyal area of Punjab, he added.

"Today, we intercepted a truck JK 13E-2000 on specific inputs at Lakhanpur and arrested three persons," Senior Superintendent of Police Kathua Sridhar Patil said in Kathua.

The arms and ammunition recovered included four AK-56 rifles, two AK-47 rifles, six magazines and 180 rounds of ammunition, besides a cash of Rs 11,000, he added.

All of the militants belonged to the Kashmir Valley, he said, adding that the truck was owned by Suhil Ahmed Latoo of Gulshanabad in Pulwama and was driven by Javaid Ahmed Dar.

The police identified the three as Ubaid-ul-Islam, a resident of Aghlar Kandi, Rajpora Pulwama; Jehangir Ahmad Parray, a resident of Pakherpora Charar-e-Sharief, Budgam; and Sabeel Ahmad Baba, a resident of Aghlar Kandi, Rajpora Pulwama. He said they were illegally transporting arms and ammunition to Kashmir from Punjab to "disturb peace in the Valley".

The SSP said the arms and ammunition might were smuggled to arm the JeM modules in Kashmir for carrying out terror activities.

It is believed that either of these suspected militants infiltrated from across the International Border via Bamyal border in Pathankot to the Kashmir Valley with the help of over-ground workers, he said.

Sources claim that the militants were planning to execute a major terror attack.

The Punjab Police have rushed a team of state special operation cell (SSOC) to Kathua for joining the investigation.

(With inputs from PTI)