BSF foils smuggling bid from Pak in Punjab, jawan injured in crossfire
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Jan, 2022 12:50 PM
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.
Nearly 100 students and resident doctors of the Government Medical College in Patiala in Punjab have tested positive for Covid-19, officials said on Tuesday. A retirement party and New Year Eve's party held on the college campus without following appropriate Covid-19 behaviour is blamed for alarming spike in the cases.
With 192 new cases of highly transmissible Covid variant Omicron detected in the last 24 hours, India's Omicron tally on Tuesday rose to 1,892 cases. Maharashtra and Delhi continue to be the worst-hit states with this new variant.
Badal in a statement here listed five major issues on which he said a prime ministerial package would lend credence and respectability to Modi's visit to Punjab on January 5. The former CM also drew the PM's attention to thousands of Sikh families awaiting justice for the massacre of 1984.
Addressing a gathering of Anganwadi workers in Morinda town, the Chief Minister declared that from now onwards the monthly emoluments of the Anganwadi workers stand increased from Rs 8,100 to Rs 9,500, mini-Anganwadi workers from Rs 5,300 to Rs 6,300 and helpers from Rs 4,050 to Rs 5,100.
Amid a surge in Coronavirus cases, the Delhi government on Tuesday decided to impose a weekend curfew from January 8. During weekdays, the metros and buses will run at full seating capacity with strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines.
The centuries-old Ravidas temple in Tughlakabad was demolished by the DDA on August 10 in 2019 following a Supreme Court order. Since then, a series of protests have been organised by Dalit organisations.
