E-Paper
Take habitual drug offenders into preventive custody: BSF to Punjab govt
BSF Western Command special DG said a database of people involved in drug smuggling who came out on bail or parole has been prepared and all agencies are keeping a vigil on them
The Border Security Force (BSF) has recommended the Punjab government to take habitual offenders in drug smuggling cases in the border areas into preventive detention, a senior officer said on Monday.
BSF Western Command special director general Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said the force has given a list of such offenders to the state government. “We have recommended the Punjab government to take habitual offenders in preventive detention,” the officer said.
The Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1988, provides for preventive detention of repeat offenders. Section 3 of the Act empowers a government to detain people to prevent them from engaging in illicit traffic of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
According to officials, drug smuggling from across the border through drones in the state’s border districts is posing a serious challenge for security agencies.
Khurania said the BSF has recovered 95 drones this year, surpassing the 21 drones recovered in 2022. The majority of these drones were confiscated in Punjab.
The BSF independently has recovered 101 drones this year with 93 from Punjab and eight from Rajasthan. In joint operations with the police, the BSF recovered 16 drones this year from Punjab.
Similarly, the seizure of narcotics from Punjab is higher than 2022. This year BSF has seized 420.25 kg of heroin from Punjab, in 2022 it was 316.98 kg.
Khurania said with the enhancement of jurisdiction of the BSF from 15 to 50 km in Punjab, the BSF has increased the domination in the hinterland by frequent vehicle patrolling, and establishment of temporary posts which has resulted in prevention of illegal activities.
He added that many steps, including increasing troops deployment and conducting vulnerability mapping, have been taken to prevent smuggling of narcotics and weapons from across the border.
He said a database of people involved in drug smuggling who came out on bail or parole has been prepared and all agencies are keeping a vigil on them.
The Western Command of the BSF is responsible for effective border management on the India-Pakistan border with five frontiers Kashmir, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Khurania said narcotics smuggling has been seen as a challenge for a long time in Punjab and some areas of Rajasthan and Jammu. “For the past two to three years, we are seeing that continuous attempts are being made to smuggle drugs and weapons from across the border with the use of drones,” he added.
He said training is being given to the BSF troops and technique is also being used to prevent smuggling from across the border.
CCTVs will be installed at vulnerable points near border
He further said under a plan, CCTVs would be installed at vulnerable points near the border areas in Punjab to prevent smuggling activities, adding they will be installed by March 2024.
Khurania said a detailed SOP (standard operating procedure) has been prepared for the jawans on how to deal with the drones coming from across the border. Technical and human solutions have been incorporated in it, he added.
The senior BSF officer said big drones were earlier being used with payload capacity of three to five kg. “But now in the past three months, we have seen a change in which small drones are being used to carry 400 to 500 gm of weight,” he said speaking about the change of tactics by the smugglers in the recent past in smuggling heroin from across the border.
Khurania said it could be because the small drones are cheaper and there will be less damage if a drone is shot down.
He, however, said it is also difficult to observe small drones. “We have accepted these challenges,” he added.
He said 755 kg of narcotic items, 15 assorted rifles and 38 pistols were seized by the BSF during various operations in 2023 besides apprehending 36 Pakistan nationals and neutralising nine intruders from across the border along the International Boundary (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC).
