Punjab: BSF recovers drugs, arms after gunfight with smugglers along Pak border

PTI, Feb 18, 2023, 4:36 PM IST

he BSF on Saturday recovered 20 packets of heroin and a cache of arms and ammunition after a gunfight with Pakistani smugglers along the international border of India and Pakistan in Punjab’s Gurdaspur, an official said. The gunfight began when the 113 Battalion of the Border Security Force noticed suspicious movement of smugglers ahead of fencing in the area near Khasawali village in the Gurdaspur district early morning, said the official. “During patrolling in the dense fog at 5.30 am, BSF constable Hem Ram noticed some suspicious movement. As he challenged them, the smugglers from the Pakistani side opened fire. Our jawan retaliated with 25 rounds,” BSF Deputy Inspector General Prabhakar Joshi told reporters in Gurdaspur. Joshi said a team led by a patrol commander soon joined them and helped in the gunfight, which went on for a “long time.” Later, in a search operation, the force found a 15-foot-long pipe about 30 metres away from the fencing, with 20 packets of heroin in it, said Joshi. A further search of the area led to the recovery of two pistols (one made in Turkey and the other Made in China), six magazines, and 242 live rounds, said the BSF DIG.

Joshi also said that they are finding out about Indians who crossed the border and are engaged in smuggling narcotics to this side.

The BSF has also shared information about the Saturday incident with the Punjab Police, he said, adding they are making efforts to nab the Indian receivers of the consignment.