BSF foils smuggling bid from Pak in Punjab, jawan injured in crossfire

New Delhi, Jan 28 (IANS) The Border Security Force (BSF) on Friday foiled a major smuggling bid from Pakistan in Punjab's Gurdaspur sector and recovered arms, ammunition and narcotics while a jawan was injured during the crossfire by the miscreants, the officials said here.

According to the BSF, around 5.15 a.m. an alert BSF team comprising Head Constable (HC) Gyan Singh and Constable Raju Biswas of 89 Battalion observed suspicious movement of miscreants, suspected to be smugglers both across the International Border as well as inside the Indian territory between the Border Outpost No. 33/06 and 33/07 in the cover of dense fog.

On being challenged, the miscreants resorted to firing on the BSF team. The BSF men on guard showed exemplary courage and presence of mind, said the officials. Head Constable Singh immediately fired in retaliation while Constable Biswas provided support fire. In the ensuing gunfight miscreants / suspected smugglers fled away and during the exchange of fire, HC Singh sustained bullet injuries to his hand and head.

"Despite the dense foggy conditions in the area, owing to the keen alertness of HC Gyan Singh and Ct Raju Biswas, the nefarious attempt by armed smugglers to smuggle drugs, arms and ammunition could be successfully thwarted", the BSF PRO said.

Injured HC Gyan Singh has been evacuated to hospital and condition is stable, the PRO added.

The BSF initiated a search operation and recovered 47 yellow plastic covered packets suspected to be heroin, seven small packets suspected to be opium, one pistol Norinco Made in China with two magazines and 44 live rounds of the point three caliber pistol.

The Force also recovered blue colour plastic pipe of 15 feet, 74 live rounds AK-47 with 4 magazines, 9mm Pietro Beretta pistol with one magazine and 12 live rounds of 9mm ahead of the border security fence while one shawl, a muffler and a winter cap was also recovered behind the border fence.

Further search operations are continuing, the force said.

The smuggling of arms and narcotics has increased on the Punjab border from November onwards last year owing to the Assembly election in the state, a senior official in the central security force said, adding that there has been a substantive spurt in the smuggling bids from the Pakistan side in recent months.

Recently, on January 20, the BSF foiled another attempt of smuggling of contraband by engaging a 'flying object' coming from Pakistan in Punjab's Amritsar Sector and seized over seven kg of heroin dropped by it in the area.

In the past too, such attempts were made to smuggle narcotics, arms and ammunition into Indian territories on the western border by using drones by handlers in Pakistan.