E-Paper
Another BSF man lands in police net for aiding smugglers
Police on Tuesday arrested another Border Security Force (BSF) personnel for allegedly helping cross-border drugs and arms smugglers, days after a constable from the force was arrested from Rajasthan on same charges.
Police on Tuesday arrested another Border Security Force (BSF) personnel for allegedly helping cross-border drugs and arms smugglers, days after a constable from the force was arrested from Rajasthan on same charges.
The crime investigating agency (CIA) of the SAS Nagar police arrested BSF head constable Prem Singh, who was on leave, from his native village in Tarn Taran district.
SAS Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Prem Singh, attached with BSF’s 72 battalion and posted in Barmer, Rajasthan, was on regular payroll of smugglers who paid him Rs 30,000 per kilogram of contraband smuggled.
According to CIA, Prem Singh used to help three drug smugglers — Gurjant Singh, Sandeep Singh and Jatinder Singh — who were arrested by police near Kharar on December 29 with a cache of arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan.
The police had also recovered mobile phones and a Pakistan SIM card from their possession. The accused were in regular touch with the Pakistani drug suppliers over phone.
Prem Singh’s alleged involvement came to light following the questioning of Gurjant Singh who revealed that he had got drugs, arms and ammunitions smuggled from Pakistan with the help of Prem Singh when he posted at Fazilka in 2014.
Prem Singh, a matriculate, had joined the BSF in 1993. “He was primarily the contact of Gurjant’s brother Gurbir, who died in 2013. Gurbir introduced Gurjant to Prem Singh, who helped him smuggle two consignments in 2014,” said the SSP.
“Prem Singh allegedly used to engage his colleagues, posted at the border, into talks in order to divert their attention and then secretly inform smugglers to pick up the consignment coming from the Pakistani side,” the SSP said.
The BSF man was given Rs 50,000, a mobile phone and two SIM cards by the smugglers.
On January 9, Anil Kumar, a constable with 52 Battalion posted near Sriganganagar, was arrested by cops for helping smugglers. He is presently in judicial custody.
