Chandigarh: Amid a rise in the number of bids to smuggle drugs and weapons from across the border in Punjab, the Border Security Force (BSF) has announced Rs 1 lakh award for informers over clues on such smuggling bids in the state. The BSF has released posters and recordings saying that then it will give a reward of Rs 1 lakh to those who inform about the traffickers through drones.
The development comes a day after the Punjab police on Wednesday busted a drone-based arms and ammunition smuggling module with the arrest of its two members, including a prisoner, who confessed to having links with Pakistan-based smugglers. Those arrested have been identified as Jaskaran Singh of Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran, currently lodged at sub-Jail Goindwal Sahib, and Rattanbir Singh of Khemkaran in Tarn Taran, out on bail.
During questioning, accused Jaskaran confessed that he was using a mobile phone in jail to contact Pakistan-based smugglers through WhatsApp for smuggling of narcotics and arms/ ammunition from Pakistan via drones. The police have also recovered 10 foreign-made pistols, including five .30 bore (made in China) and five 9mm (made in USA Beretta), along with 8 spare magazines from both of them, besides a mobile phone concealed by Jaskaran in his barrack.
Also read: Punjab police bust drone-based arms smuggling module, prisoner among two held
Punjab has seen a spike in the number of drugs and weapons smuggling bids along the Indo-Pak border. The Border Security Force in Punjab on Wednesday foiled a drug and narcotics smuggling bid by recovering four packets of suspected narcotics besides 50 live cartridges of 9MM on the Amritsar border in the state. “During the wee hours, alert BSF troops foiled an attempt of anti-social elements, who were trying to throw contrabands over the border fence.
During the search, BSF recovered four packets of suspected narcotics and 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition,” a BSF spokesman said. The recovery comes five days after the BSF on September 30, recovered two packets of narcotics suspected to be heroin with a gross weight of 2.180 kg wrapped in yellow adhesive tape ahead of the border fence.
The preceding day, on September 29, in the afternoon hours, BSF troops recovered two plastic pipes lying in the field ahead of border fencing near Bharopal village in Amritsar district. A total of 0.560kg of suspected narcotics was recovered from these pipes, a spokesman said. On September 25, BSF troops recovered a plastic bottle tied with a hyacinth floating in the Sutlej river flowing from Pakistan to India.
The preceding day, on September 29, in the afternoon hours, BSF troops recovered two plastic pipes lying in the field of border fencing near village Bharopal in Amritsar district. A total of 0.560kg of suspected narcotics was recovered from these pipes, a spokesman said.
