BSF foils infiltration bid, seizes heroin worth ₹270cr along Pak border

BSF inspector general (IG), Rajasthan frontier, Pankaj Goomer told HT that near zero visibility on the Indo-Pak border caused by rains and heavy sand storms have led to a spurt in attempts to push drugs and arms.

The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an infiltration attempt by suspected smugglers from Pakistan along the International Border (IB) in Rajasthan’s Bikaner district on Thursday and recovered 56 kg of heroin, worth over two hundred crores of rupees, in the process, a top BSF officer said. Rajasthan shares a 1,037km long border with Pakistan.

BSF recovered 54 packets of suspected Heroin, weighing over 56 kgs approximately, from border along Pakistan.

In the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday, BSF sensed suspicious movement at the Border which was followed by firing of warning shots by the sentry, forcing the smugglers to flee. During a search after the incident, 54 packets of suspected Heroin, weighing over 56 kgs approximately, were recovered. The 127 Battalion of BSF guards the Bondli border outpost falling under Khajuwala police station.

BSF inspector general (IG), Rajasthan frontier, Pankaj Goomer told HT that near zero visibility on the Indo-Pak border caused by rains and heavy sand storms have led to a spurt in attempts to push drugs and arms by nefarious elements from across the border.

Goomer said the value of the seized drug is likely to be around ₹270 crore in the international market. A case has been registered against unknown smugglers. The director general (DG) of BSF Rakesh Asthana congratulated the jawans and announced a reward of ₹5 lakh to the vigilant troops for the “biggest” seizure of contraband at the Rajasthan frontier, said the DIG (deputy inspector general) of BSF’s, Bikaner sector, Yashwant Rathor.

Smugglers’ common modus operandi is to hurl packets of drugs across the border, which are picked up by their local associates and passed on to couriers, who take it to distributors in different cities, a BSF intelligence officer said, seeking anonymity.

In the recent past, the security agencies have also discovered tunnels along the border used by smugglers. They also sneak in through gaps in the fence during storms in summer and dense fog in the winter. Rajasthan has become a major part of the route used for transporting drugs including heroin. Smugglers use different routes to enter India, choosing between Punjab and Rajasthan, depending upon the heat on a particular border, DIG Rathor said.