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.
The charge made by the BJP functionary comes a day after Kejriwal during his visit to poll-bound Goa on Tuesday, announced 80 per cent reservation in private sector jobs, Rs 3,000 and Rs 5,000 doles for the unemployed youth and families who have lost employment due to Covid respectively as well as setting up of a Skill university in the state.
Even as he reiterated his intention to counter any move to make Sidhu the state's Chief Minister face, Amarinder Singh said he will pit a strong candidate against him in the 2022 Assembly polls to ensure his defeat.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Goa have been engaged in a war of words and pre-poll announcements over the last few months ahead of the state Assembly polls, which are due in the coastal state in early 2022.
The stolen bicycles recovered were of nearly Rs 4 lakh. Deputy Superintendent of Police Charanjit Singh Virk said accused Neemkanta, who lives in suburban Kansal with his wife and son, used to visit parks in the early morning to steal the cycles.
"Pharmaceutical industry in Goa produces 12 per cent of the total medicine manufactured in India. Around 70 per cent of the product is exported to the most developed countries in the world," Sawant told a government function in Panaji organised to promote industrial trade in the state.
Even the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has directed all state governments and Union Territory administrations to use the word Scheduled Caste instead of Dalit for persons belonging to SCs.
